– It can become worthless – Dagsavisen

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated on Saturday that Ukraine has attacked Crimea with long-range missiles. Russia and Putin annexed the Ukrainian peninsula in the winter of 2014.

It is not known how big the consequences of the attack have been and what has been affected, writes NTB. According to Russia, long-range missiles of the ATACMS type, which Ukraine has received from the United States, were used.

– The delivery of these ATACMS missiles is a major breakthrough. It could effectively render the Crimean peninsula militarily worthless, says military analyst Philip Karber to the website RFE/RL. Business Insider has also mentioned the matter.

Putin and the relationship with Crimea

The Swedish lieutenant colonel Joakim Paasikivi, who is an expert in military science at the Swedish Försvarshögskolan, has previously referred to Crimea as the jewel in Putin’s “tsar’s crown”. And he is not alone in pointing out Crimea’s importance to President Putin.

– It will be very, very difficult for Putin to give up Crimea. Then something very special must have happened on the battlefield. Remember that this is a man who thinks about his political and historical legacy, said Russia expert Mark Galeotti to Dagsavisen recently.

But Crimea has become vulnerable as a military pawn, he believes.

– It is obvious, said Galeotti, who is considered one of the world’s leading experts on international crime and security policy with Russia as a special field.

Author, political scientist and social debater Sylo Taraku has previously spoken about Crimea’s importance to Dagsavisen.

He works in Tankesmien Agenda and came out with the book in autumn The Continent of War – Europe after the Cold War. Taraku spoke about the situation on the peninsula after the Russian naval base in Sevastopol was attacked by Ukraine in October.

– Russia’s and Vladimir Putin’s nightmare has been that Crimea would be attacked. That Sevastopol would be attacked. Now Crimea and Sevastopol are being hit by Ukrainian rockets, or Western rockets that Ukraine uses, Taraku said then.

More attacks from Ukraine

Also last Tuesday, Ukraine fired long-range missiles that it recently received from the United States at Crimea. According to independent media reports, three Russian military bases were hit. The attack is said to have also led to several people being injured or killed.

In recent weeks, the United States has announced that it will deliver missiles with an even greater range to Ukraine. Previous deliveries have contained rockets with a range of 165 kilometres, writes NTB.

– A big step towards liberating Crimea is to make the situation untenable for Russia there. Long-range missiles give Ukraine the opportunity to do just that, says retired general Ben Hodges to RFE/RL.

He is the US’s former commander-in-chief in Europe.

– You must not kill all the Russians (in Crimea). You just have to make sure they don’t have fuel, ammunition and food, adds the general.

Recently, Hodges stated that Russia lacks what it takes to knock Ukraine out of the war.

Also read: German defense halt: – Then Russia can attack NATO

– The US is directly involved

Supplying US ATACMS missiles to Ukraine will not change the outcome of the war, the Kremlin has previously claimed.

– The United States is directly involved in this conflict. They are on the way to expanding the range of weapon systems they already supply. This will not fundamentally change the outcome of the military special operation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at the end of April. He is also a spokesman for President Putin.

It is now more than ten years since Russia’s war in Ukraine ignited.

Under the pretext of a military exercise, Putin sent special forces to the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula in March 2014, and shortly afterwards the government offices and the local parliament were occupied by soldiers without uniform. A pro-Russian politician was installed as “prime minister”. In the wake of the annexation, the Russians also took control of several areas in eastern Ukraine.

Also read: Trump’s recent NATO defense: – Why should we pay?

Condemned by Norway

A highly contested referendum on 16 March 2014 ended with a majority in favor of reunification with Russia, and on 18 March the Putin regime declared Crimea a part of Russia. Norway was one of many countries that condemned this, citing that it was in violation of international law, according to NTB.

Eight years later, Russia and Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

A Ukrainian population study from 2001 showed that 58 percent of the population was ethnic Russian, 24 percent ethnic Ukrainian, and 12 percent Muslim Crimean Tatars.

Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have a stated goal of recapturing Crimea. Putin, on the other hand, has no plans to let that happen.

Also read: General: – Now we have three choices. Only one of them can stop Putin

Also read: Putin has had enough. Now he is building a railway to the Crimea

Also read: Ukrainian men die fleeing Putin’s war: – Sad and tragic

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Facts about Vladimir Putin

• Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was born in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, on October 7, 1952.
• Former KGB agent. In 1998, he became head of the Russian security service FSB.
• In 1999, was appointed prime minister by President Boris Yeltsin. When Yeltsin stepped down on 31 December 1999, Putin became acting president.
• Was formally elected president in 2000 and re-elected for another four-year term in 2004.
• In 2008 he became Prime Minister under President Dmitry Medvedev. According to the constitution, Russian presidents could not serve for more than two consecutive terms.
• In March 2012, he was again elected president for six new years.
• In 2018, Putin was re-elected for a new six-year term with almost 77 percent of the vote, according to the official results.
• A constitutional amendment in 2020 enabled Putin to remain in power until 2036.
• In February 2022, Putin invaded Ukraine with large military forces.
• In March 2024, Putin was re-elected as president with at least 87 percent of the vote after all real opposition candidates were barred from the election.

(Sources: NTB, AFP, The New York Times)

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