Head of Crimea Aksyonov: Russia is ready to defend the peninsula
Crimea is ready for Ukraine's counteroffensive, there will be no catastrophe, said Russian head of the region Sergey Aksyonov. According to him, the armed forces of the Russian Federation have built a modern, "deeply layered defense. Much has been done and continues to be done to provide the defenders" of the peninsula with everything necessary.
"It is impossible to underestimate the enemy, but we can definitely say that we are ready for this and there will be no catastrophe. I believe that the decision to build defensive structures in the Crimea and on the approaches to the peninsula was correct and justified," Aksyonov wrote on Telegram.
Last autumn, Russia began to prepare for the offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Crimea. Fortifications were built on the border with the Kherson region, trenches tens of kilometers long were dug on the beaches of the peninsula. Anti-tank guns and artillery pieces were also installed along the Black Sea coast.
Despite this, Ukrainian analysts are confident that the peninsula will "fall" this summer. "If Ukraine continues to receive military support, it is likely that Crimea will be de-occupied before the autumn. We will also need long-range weapons with which we can destroy the Crimean bridge and all military facilities in the territory of Crimea. The Ukrainian Armed Forces can enter the Crimea and liberate the entire occupied territory," said military expert Roman Svitan.
He noted that in the entire history, not a single army that was in the Crimea was able to hold the peninsula. "Russians in Crimea are trapped," he said.
The Ukrainian authorities admit that Crimea can be also liberated "diplomatically". In particular, advisor to the head of the Ukrainian Presidential Administration, Mykhailo Podolyak, and deputy head of the Presidential Administration, Andriy Sibiga, spoke about this.