00:00Ukrainian drone attacks against occupied Crimea have intensified markedly in recent months.
00:07These attacks have made life on the peninsula almost unbearable, according to the US publication NPR.
00:15Crimea, which is normally full of tourists in the summer, is experiencing a completely different reality this year.
00:23The publication notes that Ukrainian attacks are increasingly affecting the daily lives of civilians.
00:30A resident of the peninsula described the situation on social media.
00:34Transportation has come to a complete standstill. There's no gasoline, no fuel, no electricity.
00:41The shops are closed. The banks are closed. Absolutely nothing is working. There's no water either.
00:49The author of the publication recalls that, since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014,
00:55Approximately one million Russian military and civilians have moved to the peninsula.
01:00At the same time, a significant portion of the Ukrainian population has left Crimea.
01:07Its current population is estimated to be around 2.5 million inhabitants.
01:13Over the past few years, Ukraine has declared its intention to reclaim the peninsula,
01:18and has launched periodic attacks against Russian military installations.
01:23However, in recent months, the intensity of the campaign has intensified significantly.
01:30Military installations in northern Crimea have been particularly hard hit.
01:36However, the shortage of supplies is increasingly affecting the civilian population as well.
01:44According to retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery,
01:49This poses a serious problem for the Kremlin.
01:52It is impossible to keep so many people in a place with limited water, no fuel, and scarce food.
02:00In other words, they're going to have to leave, he stated.
02:03Russian ships and ferries have been a particular target of the Ukrainian attacks.
02:10that transport fuel, food, and other essential supplies to Crimea.
02:15Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmitry Pletinchuk stated that in the last month,
02:21Ukrainian forces have attacked more than 130 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov and more than 80 in
02:28the Black Sea.
02:29Russia overestimated its naval power and did not expect this type of action from us.
02:35Now they are trying to catch up with our technology.
02:39But they need six months and we keep moving forward.
02:43Russia is now at a logistical impasse, he noted.
02:47At the same time, the author of the publication emphasizes that it is still premature to speak of an imminent military liberation of
02:55Crimea.
02:56Ukrainian forces do not have the necessary capability to launch a large-scale offensive
03:02intended to recover the peninsula.
03:04President Volodymyr Zelensky also stated that Ukraine is not yet attempting to directly reclaim Crimea.
03:12because the priority remains preserving lives.
03:16Thus, as the NPR article states,
03:20The Ukrainian attacks do not yet change the fact of Russian control over Crimea.
03:24but they do increasingly undermine Moscow's ability to ensure the normal functioning of the peninsula.
03:31At the same time, the Kremlin, which after annexing Crimea described it as an integral part of Russia,
03:38Now, according to the author, he barely comments on the problems that arise in the occupied territory.
04:11Thank you!
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