File image.
On July 20, Ukraine launched yet another attack against the Crimean Peninsula, in what appears to be an attempt to deflect attention from its failing counteroffensive.
Crimea governor Sergey Aksyonov said that a suspected drone strike damaged at least four buildings and killed a young girl in the Russian-held peninsula.
As a result of the “enemy drone” strike, “four administrative buildings” were damaged and at least one person killed, Aksyonov claimed on Telegram shortly after 6am local time, without naming the exact location of the strike.
“Unfortunately… a teenage girl died,” Aksyonov wrote. The official expressed his “sincere and deep condolences” and promised to provide the victim’s family with “all the necessary support.”
This was the fourth Ukrainian attack on Crimea in less than a week. On July 16, the Russian military thwarted an attack on Sevastopol port with aerial and naval drones. The next day, July 17, Ukraine attacked the Crimean Bridge with two naval drones. Two civilians were killed, a young girl was wounded.
On July 18, Russian forces shot down 28 aerial drones near Crimea. Later on July 19, a fire broke out at a military warehouse in the Kirovsky district of Crimea. The causes of the incident have not yet been revealed.
The recent attacks on Crimea were likely carried out to deflect attention from Kiev forces’ heavy human and material losses on the front.
The Russian Zapad Group of Forces announced on July 20 that its Su-34 fighter bombers had targeted a command post as well as a gathering of manpower and equipment of Ukraine’s 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade near Kucherovka in the Kupyansk direction.
The group’s artillery also thwarted an attempt to rotate units of the 103rd Separate Territorial Defense Brigade at near Berestovoe. In addition, tank and artillery fire hit the positions of the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade and territorial defense units close to Kislovka, Ivanovka and Kotlyarovka.
The total losses of Ukraine in this direction amounted to a platoon of infantry, an armored personnel carrier, two other vehicles and an ammunition An American-made AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radar station was also destroyed near Peschanoe.
The group’s air defenses also shot down two Furia and Poseidon drones of Kiev forces over the settlements of Tavolzhanka and Zhovtneve.
Meanwhile, new videos from the battlefield showed more Ukrainian losses in Luhansk and Zaporozhye, including American-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and a Slovinian-supplied M-55S tank. Another video showed pinpoint airstrikes on a stronghold of Kiev forces in Bakhmut.
The Russian Ministry of Defense also released two videos showing recent strikes by Ka-52 attack helicopters against Ukrainian armored vehicles.
Ukraine’s repeated attacks on Crimea won’t contribute much to the counteroffensive and will provoke a fierce response from the Russian military. The attacks also reflect a high level of desperation in Kiev, who received tens of billions worth of military aid from its backers after promising a quick victory.
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