Russia is digging trenches in the Crimea to repel the Ukrainian landing. What in this sense?
- Oleg Chernysh
- BBC News Ukraine
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Russian troops began to dig trenches on the basis of the annexed Crimea. Ukrainian intelligence is sure that this is being done to prevent the landing of an amphibious assault by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. But does Kyiv have the strength and means to open a “second front” in the south in this way?
On the morning of June 6, 1944, British, Canadian and American troops landed air and sea troops on a beach in Normandy in northern France.
Although Nazi Germany, which controlled the occupied French coast, was preparing for a landing and creating a powerful system of defense installations, the Allied operation was a success. It was the largest landing in the history of the war.
The opening of a second front is much closer to the collapse of Nazi Germany. The successful landing showed the strength and courage of the anti-Hitler coalition units.
Is it possible to pass Normandy
Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine December 15 announcedthat Russia is strenuously preparing for the landing of Ukrainian troops in the Crimea.
The GUR posted photos, where, presumably, mining and digging were filmed on the western coast of the peninsula near Evpatoria. Here, near the village of Molochnoe, according to intelligence, the Russians had set up a network of minefields, trenches and trenches. They installed “dragon’s teeth” – rows of concrete pyramids, which should stimulate the advancement of technology.
Back in early December, photographs of trenches on other Crimean advantages appeared on Ukrainian telegram channels and the media.
“They are actually digging trenches along the coast of the sea. As I understand it, they are very reconsidering and very much believe in the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” so commented this is the representative of the President of Ukraine in the Crimea, Tamila Tasheva.
The Russian and Crimean authorities controlled by them did not react to this information in any way. True, the head of the annexed peninsula, Sergey Aksyonov, said on November 18 that some “fortification works” were excellent in Crimea to ensure the safety of residents.
But the main question is different – can the Ukrainian army meet Normandy, that is, landing on the coastline?
The union operation of June 1944 involved 156,000 military personnel and almost 7,000 ships and ships.
Ukrainian reserves are much more modest. There are practically no necessary forces and means, a retired captain of the 1st rank, a former deputy chief of staff of the Ukrainian Navy, and currently an expert at the Center for Defense Security, Andriy Ryzhenko, told the BBC.
The only large landing ship “Yuri Olefirenko” was launched 50 years ago. It can carry up to six tanks and about 180 paratroopers. Despite the fact that after the destruction of a large military contingent of a full-scale invasion of the Ukrainian ship, it is still in service.
But it makes no sense to involve him in the landing operation, says Andrey Ryzhenko. First of all, because Ukraine must first ensure the safety of its passage to the surrounding coast.
“In order to land troops, it is necessary to exercise control over the area of the sea throughout the entire route of movement.
The nature of the defensive nature of the Crimean natural resources, an export expert, allows us to say that the Russians regulate the protection of the peninsula not from tactical landings, but from the penetration of Ukrainian sabotage groups.
Such an option is quite possible. Mobile groups of Ukrainian special forces quietly landed on the coast and attacked the infrastructure of the Russian army, Ryzhenko is sure.
Where and when can it be a passenger?
The Ukrainian armed forces have the equipment necessary for such operations. For example, Kyiv received several existing boats and rubber boats from the Western allies. They are small and maneuverable, which makes it possible to quietly land combat units on the coast.
Russia has already announced such operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In particular, on November 13, RIA Novosti reported on the landing of Ukrainian troops on the Kinburn Spit on the border of the Kherson and Nikolaev environments.
“The sabotage group of the 73rd Marine Operations Center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was destroyed. The defeat of four light-engine swimming facilities was confirmed.
The Ukrainian side did not comment on these assessments, but the operational command “South” demanded that the Operation to liberate Kinburn was still ongoing.
On the morning of November 14, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine published in their social networks a short video without explanation, which recorded the movement of a group of Ukrainian military on light boats. Sometimes we are talking about forcing the Dnieper or the Dnieper estuary.
According to BBC sources in world circles, on the Kinburn Spit, the population of the coast collapsed sharply, as in the photo from the beaches of Crimea. We are talking about digging, mining and installation of barriers.
The Ukrainian coast faced the events on the Odessa coast at the beginning of the Invasion, when there was a real threat of a Russian landing.
Why did Russia begin to dig in precisely on the western coast of Crimea?
Captain 1st Rank Andrei Ryzhenko, who served on the peninsula for many years, has an explanation. According to him, only some parts of the Crimea are suitable for landing: there is a gently sloping coastline and convenient access to the shore.
“With Soviet times, dangerous situations were identified in Crimea, dangerous in terms of landing.
But does it make sense in Ukraine to land troops on the Crimean coast? Experts are sure not yet.
“Now I don’t see it in this. It needs to be done against the backdrop of some kind of general operation,” says Ryzhenko.
The head of security programs at the Center for Global Studies “Strategy XXI”, a former military man, is confident sailor Pavlo Lakichuk that such a military action would make sense when the Ukrainian dryness of the body is killed by an offensive from the Kherson direction towards the Crimea.
A landing of Marines in the rear of the detection line will be an auxiliary strike here.
“Then it can be tactical landings, and reconnaissance and sabotage units. Actually, that’s why the Russians are now strengthening their flank,” he told the BBC.
In the operational command “South” the situation with the “trenches at the coefficients” is half-jokingly commenting. This is something like “something similar to the working hands” of Russian, He speaks representative of OK “South” Natalya Gumenyuk.
“In the absence of winter uniforms, this is the only way for them to keep warm. Because no trenches, no engineering structures carry.
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