The situation in southern Ukraine continues to deteriorate.
In Crimea, Russia is preparing for a counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces.
Sevastopol – For Russia, Crimea is becoming a powder keg in the Ukraine war: The pressure on the occupied peninsula in southern Ukraine is growing after several fuel tanks were set on fire in the city of Sevastopol over the weekend.
Analysts close to the Kremlin are now expecting further "surprises" in Crimea after Kiev admitted to the drone strikes.
There has been talk of a Ukrainian spring offensive for some time.
Russia has no doubts about Ukraine's counteroffensive
Like the US news magazine
Newsweek
reported, Russian war experts are assuming that there will now be more offensive actions by the Ukrainian military in Crimea.
The Russian journalist Mikhail Khodarjonok spoke on the state television channel
Russia-1
that there was now “no doubt” that Ukraine would launch a counter-offensive.
Thanks to Western support, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has "technological innovations" that are not yet known to Russia, they say.
Shortly before, the Ukrainian President had announced that he would start the expected spring offensive against Russia even without some of the weapons promised by Western countries.
"I really would have liked to wait for everything that was promised," Zelenskyy said on Sunday (April 30) in an interview with journalists from Scandinavia.
However, the dates did not match.
Moscow strengthens defenses on the frontlines in Ukraine
Russia is now working at full speed on its defense on the Crimean peninsula.
"Imagery shows that Russia has made special efforts to fortify the northern border of occupied Crimea, including with a multi-layered defense zone near the village of Medvedevka," the UK Defense Ministry said in a press release.
Tanks, drones, anti-aircraft defenses: weapons for Ukraine
Tanks, drones, anti-aircraft defenses: weapons for Ukraine
Since the summer of 2022, Moscow has achieved one of the world's "most extensive military defense systems".
According to Britain, Russia's defenses extend beyond the current front lines and reach deep into its own territories.
Russia is currently working on strengthening its borders in the Belgorod and Kursk regions bordering Ukraine.
For this purpose, "hundreds of kilometers of trenches" were dug, reports London.
Pressure on Russia in the Ukraine war is growing
For the Russian armed forces, it is the calm before the storm.
According to President Zelensky, the only thing left to do is wait for the right weather conditions before starting the counter-offensive.
In the coming weeks, the currently muddy ground in many war zones is likely to solidify, which would facilitate offensive military operations.
Counter-offensive in the Ukraine war
Russia has been waging an open war of aggression against Ukraine for over a year.
The Russian Federation currently occupies around 20 percent of Ukrainian territory, including the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed in 2014.
An announced major Ukrainian offensive has been expected for several weeks.
The attacked country also wants to reconquer the occupied areas with the help of western weapons.
The drone attack in Sevastopol is only a preparation for the expected counterattack, according to sources in Kiev.
The spokeswoman for the southern command of the Ukrainian army, Nataliya Humenyuk, said on Sunday that the "most powerful active action [of] the defense forces" was imminent.
According to the Ukrainian military intelligence service, such explosions as in Sevastopol would continue from now on.
Meanwhile, Russia is also struggling with upheavals in its own ranks.
The situation in Crimea in particular is extremely tense due to friction between Crimean Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov and the governor of the Crimean metropolis Sevastopol, Mikhail Rasvoschajew.
A "split in the occupation administrations" could be observed.
At the same time, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner boss and close friend of Russia's President Vladimir Putin, criticized Russian warfare and warned of an impending "tragedy for Russia".
(aa/dpa/afp)