The Ukrainian president lists the results obtained on the peninsula and reiterates: “Our goal is the complete liberation of our land”
“The Russian military fleet is no longer able to operate in the western part of the Black Sea and is gradually abandoning Crimea“. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, offers a new picture of the Black Sea situation from his Telegram channel, sharing the results obtained by the armed forces in Kiev’s counteroffensive against Moscow’s troops. Kiev’s strategy, which over the last months has envisaged extensive use of marine drones and raids against Moscow bases, which the president says is bearing fruit.
“We are moving towards realizing our goal more actively than at any other time in these ten years of Russian aggression, first hybrid and then large-scale. And It is precisely in the Black Sea region, precisely around Crimea, that we can best see how our tactics work“, says the Ukrainian leader who then lists the results obtained in the campaign, in which the attack conducted last year against the Kerch bridge, a link between Crimea and Russia, which remains among Kiev’s objectives, stands out.
The successes achieved
“First: The Russian navy is no longer capable of operating in the western part of the Black Sea and is gradually abandoning Crimea.
Second: For Russian terrorists there is no longer a safe base or a completely reliable logistical route in Crimea and in the occupied areas of the Black Sea and Azov coasts.
Third: We note that pro-Ukrainian sentiment in Crimea is becoming more open, even though Russia still controls this territory.
Fourth: Ukraine has managed to restore the Black Sea to its role as the security artery on which global food stability depends.”
Finally the fifth pointthe most “precious. We are committed to dismantling Russia’s impunity, step by step. Our goal is the complete liberation of our land, including Crimea. We must implement it.”
Speaking via video at a meeting in Prague of the Crimea Platform diplomatic initiative, Zelensky spoke of “a historic achievement” and highlighted how Ukraine managed to restore commercial grain traffic in the Black Sea. “Recently the Russian leadership was forced to announce the creation of a new base for the Black Sea Fleet, or rather its remains, in occupied territory in Georgia. It is the south-eastern part of the Black Sea, as far away as possible from Ukrainian naval missiles and drones. But we will reach them everywhere,” Zelensky stressed. “We have not yet achieved full fire control over Crimea and the surrounding waters, but we will have it. It’s just a matter of time,” he added.
Kiev: “Kerch Bridge will be destroyed when necessary”
Kiev for its part anticipated today the destruction of the Kerch Bridge linking Russia to Crimea, an action that will happen “in due time, when necessary”, as military spokesman Dimitro Pletenchuk said. Unlike Russia, he added, Ukraine does not need to cling to symbolism. This “helps a lot when fighting with limited resources”, he explained in an interview with Ukrinform. “It’s not up to us to do some action on our President’s birthday. This makes things easier.” “There is no point in destroying a bridge to boost morale. When it is necessary to cut off the logistical access points of Crimea and turn it into an island, we will do it.” The Kerch Bridge, which connects Russia’s Krasnodar region with the Crimean peninsula, was last hit by Ukrainian forces in July, in an attack that left at least two people dead.
Moscow: “CIA and MI6 involved in drone attack on Crimean bridge”
Meanwhile, a Russian official in Crimea has accused the CIA, MI6 and the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) of collaborating in the attack on the Crimean bridge with naval drones last July. According to Vladimir Konstantinov, the attack directly involved the intelligence agencies of the United Kingdom and the United States, arguing that Ukraine could not have carried it out alone. The SBU took responsibility, claiming that experimental “Sea Baby” marine drones had been used to damage the bridge.
Konstantinov cited as evidence the Wall Street Journal’s October 23 article, which stated that the attack on the Crimean bridge used “naval drones developed as part of a top-secret operation involving the CIA and other Western intelligence services “.
Source-www.adnkronos.com