Families of Russian military flee Crimea amid rising Ukrainian attacks
Ukrainian intelligence reports that families of Russian military personnel stationed in annexed Crimea are fleeing the peninsula on the Black Sea. Their evacuation is linked to the intensifying attacks by Ukrainian forces, reports "Newsweek".
The representative of Ukrainian military intelligence, Andriy Yusov, is quoted by the Telegram channel Crimean Wind. The military official stated that ""while Crimea remains a crucial hub for Russian military logistics in the ongoing war, occupying forces have already "relocated" part of the Black Sea Fleet to Novorossiysk, in Russia's Krasnodar Krai."
The latest satellite images from April this year confirm this. Matthew Tobin (MT) Anderson, an open-source intelligence (OSINT) analyst, shared them. They indicate that the Black Sea Fleet has withdrawn from its naval bases in Crimea.
Ukraine has increased the frequency of attacks on Crimea as part of its efforts to regain the peninsula on the Black Sea. Russia annexed this area following a decision by Vladimir Putin in 2014.
Some of the families of Russian occupation officials and collaborators also left Crimea. They are not waiting for any holiday season, but are trying to save their lives, said Yusov.
On 4th July, Pletenchuk said that "the last patrol ship" belonging to the Black Sea Fleet is moving away from Crimea. "Remember this day," he wrote in a statement published on social media.
- The ultimate goal is complete absence of military ships of the so-called Russian Federation in the Azov and Black Sea regions - said Dmytro Pletenchuk, former spokesperson of the Ukrainian Navy (WMSU), in March.
The successes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in eliminating Russian ships can be attributed to the Magura V5 sea drones. In May, Andriy Yusov said that throughout the war, they had caused damages worth £412 million.
