Why Blockading Rather Than Retaking Crimea Might Be Kyiv's Best Option

#Crimea #OccupiedUkraine #WhyBlockading #RatherThan https://gotopnews.com/post/2655066 "Crimea is our land, our territory," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in January, underscoring Ukraine's determination to reverse Russia's illegal takeover of the peninsula. New technology can make this task easier. Crimea is legally part of Ukraine, although it has been under Russian control since 2014. Russia uses the peninsula as an important base for logistical support and air and sea operations for Russian forces in the occupied areas of Ukraine. It may be difficult to liberate Crimea militarily. The peninsula is connected to the rest of Ukraine by only a narrow isthmus. Russian forces in Crimea can reinforce it at any time. "People understand that Ukraine will not take back Crimea militarily," said Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the US House Armed Services Committee. Some supporters of Ukraine worry that Russia may respond to a Ukrainian attack on Crimea with a nuclear attack. A year after capturing the peninsula, Putin said he was ready to put Russian nuclear weapons on alert. Earlier this year, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev boasted that an attack on Crimea would lead to "reprisal attacks". US President Joe Biden has expressed concern that nuclear use in Ukraine could lead to "Apocalypse". Fears of nuclear escalation may be part of the US refusal to procure longer-range rocket artillery, Army Tactical Missile Systems . It could enable Ukraine to hit military targets in Crimea. But Ukraine need not drive the invading forces out of Crimea to make Crimea less hospitable to Russian aims. Combinations of modern technologies could enable Ukraine to blockade and open volleys on Russian operations. It demonstrated the use of explosive uncrewed surface ships in attacks on Russian warships stationed in Sevastopol. The concept is simple low-profile USVs equipped with explosive-laden cameras are guided at targets. This emerging technology could sink warships and destroy naval infrastructure. USVs are well suited for networked swarm attacks and are relatively low cost. Their evolving designs can be modified to be more stealthy and harder to detect than most crewed ships. Large-scale attacks using large numbers of USVs can inflict massive damage. Sinking a warship in a closed channel can create obstacles that will take weeks to clear or longer if under fire. Geography, which makes it difficult to occupy Crimea, facilitates a modern siege. All Russian movements by land must pass through one of the two restricted corridors. The first requires traversing hundreds of miles of occupied territory, including areas relatively close to the front and infested with hostile peoples, saboteurs and special forces. The last gauntlet isthmus is a target-rich location with minimal room for maneuver and within range of available Ukrainian weapons. Putin Visits Crimean Bridge After October Explosion