Ukraine’s escalating attacks in the Sea of Azov have zeroed in on a new Russian pain point: Crimea.
Kyiv’s barrage of drone strikes targeting Crimea — which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014 — have dried up the water and fuel imports it relies on Moscow for, causing a state of emergency, recurrent blackouts, and rationing among the peninsula’s 2.5 million residents.
In targeting Crimea, Ukraine is trying to demonstrate Russian President Vladimir Putin’s failure to defend what was seen as a “sacred symbol of Russia’s imperial might” but has now become a “critical vulnerability” for him, Politico wrote.