The local partisan group Atesh said that the sounds of Russian air defense operating had been heard. Atesh claimed that the military base of the 810th Marine Brigade in Sevastopol had been hit.
Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on April 14, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to "The Counteroffensive," click here. In a country at war, death is all around. But Pavel Goldin is
As president of the U.S., Donald Trump “made it very clear” that he believed Ukraine “must be part of Russia,” his former advisor Fiona Hill said, The Guardian reported on April 12, citing an excerpt from a book by The New York Times reporter David Sanger.
A Russian Mi-24 helicopter crashed into the Black Sea off the coast of Crimea, Russian state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti reported on April 10, citing the Russian Defense Ministry.
A Russian Ka-27 helicopter was downed over Russian-occupied Crimea, Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said on April 10.
Russia's reconnaissance capabilities in the sky, on the water, and on land suffered after Ukraine regained control of a set of oil drilling platforms located in the Black Sea last autumn, Ukraine's military intelligence said on April 8.
An advisor to Donald Trump, the U.S. Republican Party's presumptive nominee for the 2024 presidential run, refuted claims in the media that the ex-president would push Ukraine to give up some of its territory if reelected, The New York Post reported on April 7.
The 45% of respondents who believed that Ukraine would regain all of its territory represented a decrease from a high point in February 2023, in which 74% of respondents believed it was possible.
Representatives of Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) blew up a power substation in the port city of Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea overnight on April 2, a source in HUR confirmed to the Kyiv Independent.
Key developments on March 30-31: * Zelensky: Ukrainian retreat looms without US support, ATACMS are ‘the answer’ * 80% of DTEK's energy capacity damaged, destroyed after Russia's March attacks * Putin signs decree to conscript 150,000 Russians, Ukrainians under occupation for military service * Navy: Russia withdraws 'most valuable' ships from occupied Crimea
Moscow has been constructing a railroad between Russia's port city Rostov-on-Don and occupied Crimea, as an alternative to the Crimean Bridge, running via key occupied and strategic ares, such as Donetsk and Mariupol in Donetsk Oblast and Berdiansk in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Russia has now withdrawn all its major vessels from occupied Crimea except for the rocket carrier Cyclone, which has never launched a missile, a Navy spokesperson said on March 30.
Russian forces accidentally shot down their own Su-27 fighter jet over occupied Crimea due to "heightened combat readiness," Ukraine's Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said on air on March 29.
A Russian military plane crashed into the sea near occupied Crimea, the Russian-installed head of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, claimed on March 28.
The individuals involved reportedly knew that the turbines would ultimately end up in occupied Crimea, despite the original sales documents saying they would be installed in Russia proper.
Key developments on March 26: * UN: At least 32 Ukrainian POWs executed in Russian captivity during winter * Russian landing ship Konstantin Olshansky hit with Neptune missile, says Ukraine * Ukraine dismisses Security Council secretary Danilov * Polish official says NATO considering shooting down Russian missiles that approach its borders * SBU says it
Ukraine has claimed yet another successful strike on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, announcing on March 26 that the landing ship Konstantin Olshansky had been hit by a Neptune missile.
Russia no longer uses the Crimean bridge to supply weapons to the front after Ukrainian strikes damaged the crossing, Vasyl Maliuk, the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on air on March 25.
Except for the Yamal and Azov landing ships, Ukraine's March 23 missile attack on Russian-occupied Crimea could have damaged the Russian military's Ivan Khurs ship, Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said on March 25.
In a post on Telegram, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) said the "Yamal" suffered a "hole in the upper deck that caused it to roll to the starboard side."
Key developments on March 24: * Ukraine confirms striking 2 large Russian landing ships in occupied Crimea * Russia launches major attack across Ukraine targeting critical infrastructure * ISW: Russia makes limited advances along eastern front * Ministry: Situation at Zaporizhzhia's Dnipro Dam under control, no danger of breach Ukraine struck two Russian Ropucha-class
Ukraine struck two Russian Ropucha-class landing ships, "Yamal" and "Azov," in occupied Crimea in the late hours of March 23, Ukraine's Armed Forces confirmed on March 24.
The Russian proxy leader in Sevastopol in occupied Crimea, Mikhail Razvozhayev, claimed on March 23 that "several air targets were shot down" over the city in the evening.
The railway Russia is constructing in the occupied territories of Ukraine, which leads to Crimea, is "a serious challenge" and "an important target" for Kyiv, Andrii Yusov, a spokesperson of Ukraine's military intelligence, said on March 21.
Russia is continuing the redeployment of its Black Sea Fleet from occupied Crimea to the relative safety of Novorossiysk after yet more successful strikes on its ships, Ukraine’s military intelligence reported on March 21.
Putin took the stage in the company of his "rivals," Kremlin-friendly lawmakers Vladislav Davankov, Nikolai Kharitonov, and Leonid Slutsky, who ran against Putin in the election. All three praised Putin and offered their support.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered increased training and more weapons to repel Ukraine's attacks on the Black Sea Fleet, according to a statement by Russia's Defense Ministry on March 17.
Editor’s Note: This article was published by the blog “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on March 14, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to "The Counteroffensive," click here. Dilaver Saidakhmetov's grandfather wasn’t a practicing Muslim, but that didn’t stop him
Lawmakers of the ruling United Russia political party submitted a draft law to the Russian State Duma on March 11 declaring Russia's 1954 return of Crimea to the Ukrainian Soviet Republic "illegal."
Yevmenov, who has been the Russian Navy Commander since May 2019, is still listed on the Defense Ministry's website. The Russian Defense Ministry did not comment on the alleged replacement.
President Volodymyr Zelensky passed to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan the list of Ukrainian citizens, including Crimean Tatars, captured by Russia after their meeting on March 8 in Istanbul.
Key developments on March 5: * Military intelligence: Russia's Sergey Kotov patrol vessel destroyed near Crimea * International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Russian military commanders * Deputy minister: Ukraine can produce 150,000 drones per month * Ukraine charges 2 Russian soldiers with murdering a civilian in Bucha in 2022 A patrol
Russia invaded Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in February 2014 amid the deadliest days of the EuroMaidan Revolution that eventually ousted pro-Russian ex-President Viktor Yanukovych. Around 30,000 Russian troops crossed into Crimea, taking hold of the peninsula by early March 2014.
This event effectively began Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine. The Russian military has continued to occupy Crimea ever since. Many countries have openly opposed the illegal annexation of Crimea and continue to recognize Crimea as being part of Ukraine.
Crimea covers an area of around 27,000 square kilometers (10,400 square miles), which is roughly the same size as the U.S. state of Massachusetts.
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