Russia has effectively lost ability to use Crimea as naval base
Russia can effectively no longer use occupied Crimea as a naval base but continues to use the peninsula for military operations, including airstrikes on Ukraine and support for military infrastructure, Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said on Aug. 11.
Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk stated on August 11 that Russia has lost the ability to effectively use Crimea as a naval base. Despite this, Ukraine notes that Russia still utilizes the peninsula for military operations, including airstrikes on Ukrainian territory and supporting military infrastructure. Pletenchuk explained that the Russian fleet can no longer operate fully from bases on the Crimean peninsula.
Ukrainian forces continue to target facilities in Crimea that aid Russia's military presence in the region, with strikes occurring constantly, nearly continuously. These attacks primarily focus on critical military infrastructure that Russia relies on to maintain its capabilities in the area. Pletenchuk added that Russia now primarily relies on its aviation capabilities to project military power from Crimea.
Moscow continues to use aircraft based in Crimea to launch attacks against Ukraine. In August 5 remarks, Pletenchuk reported that Russia's Black Sea Fleet no longer risks sailing even to launch Kalibr cruise missiles due to losses and effective Ukrainian defense operations. He further stated that the Russian fleet can no longer maintain a naval blockade on Ukraine and is instead forced to concentrate on preserving its remaining forces.
Written by urgent.news from New Voice of Ukraine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
