Ukraine Has Turned Crimea Into a Giant Mousetrap — NYT
In recent weeks, Ukraine has significantly stepped up its strikes on the occupied peninsula in an effort to cut off key supply routes and destroy the enemy’s military infrastructure.
These actions are gradually turning Crimea into a “giant logistical mousetrap,” significantly limiting the invaders’ capabilities on the southern front.
Analysis of satellite imagery and verified video footage shows that Ukrainian forces are systematically destroying critical infrastructure—bridges, roads, air defense systems, and radar stations.
Thanks to strikes on the power grid and fuel depots, the occupiers are facing an acute shortage of resources, forcing some of their forces to switch to a defensive posture.
In the early years of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s ability to strike targets in Crimea was limited, but the situation has now changed radically.
“There’s nowhere to hide in Crimea. The Ukrainians are capable of striking any location where there is an anti-aircraft gun, a logistics center, an airfield, or a command post,” noted Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, former commander of the U.S. Army in Europe.
In June alone, the Ukrainian Defense Forces reported destroying 31 air defense systems and various radars, exposing systemic vulnerabilities in Russia’s defenses against drone attacks.
After neutralizing the enemy’s ability to defend against drones, Ukraine moved on to systematically disrupting supply lines, particularly following successful strikes on ships and ferry crossings.
The occupiers are now completely dependent on narrow land corridors and bridge structures, which are constantly under fire.
The Russian side is trying to quickly repair the damage, but Ukraine is launching new strikes, continuing the game of “cat and mouse.”
Kateryna Stepanenko, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, emphasized that the enemy is trying to intensify patrols along key routes but lacks sufficient mobile air defense systems to neutralize the threats.
For their part, Ukrainian commanders are preparing for a protracted struggle, constantly refining their tactics for deploying unmanned systems.
“Adaptation may take days, weeks, or months, but we are constantly finding new ways to strike in any direction, at any depth, using whatever resources we have available,” emphasized Artem Belenkov, chief of staff of Ukraine’s 412th Unmanned Systems Brigade.
Experts warn that it will take time to permanently reduce the enemy’s combat capability in the south, but systematic strikes are already proving effective.
The New York Times reports on this.
Photo: Drones struck two substations in occupied Crimea
Defense forces struck a bridge and military facilities in Crimea
