With international attention firmly fixed on the Russian army’s advances in eastern Ukraine and the Ukrainian invasion of Russia’s Kursk region, it is easy to overlook important developments taking place further south in Crimea. During 2024, Ukraine has achieved a number of strategic successes in and around the Russian-occupied peninsula that are worthy of closer attention and could shape the ultimate outcome of the war.
Since the beginning of the year, Ukraine has hit more than a dozen major targets in the peninsula that play important roles in the Russian military strategy in Crimea itself and in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine. This has included attacks on Russian air bases, radar stations, and communications points, along with the destruction of multiple Russian air defense systems.
In parallel to the depletion of Russia’s air power and communications infrastructure in Crimea, Ukraine has also conducted an innovative maritime offensive against the Russian Black Sea Fleet. While few initially gave Kyiv much chance in the war at sea, Ukraine has used a combination of marine drones and missiles to sink or disable approximately one-third of the entire Russian fleet. This has forced the Kremlin to withdraw most of its remaining warships from Crimea to the safety of Russia itself. In July 2024, the Ukrainian Navy reported that the last Russian warships had also left the nearby Sea of Azov.
Voice of Ukraine 