Ukraine counteroffensive: Crimean beaches as trenches - where it could be tight for Russia

In preparation for a Ukrainian counteroffensive, the Russian military is expanding its defensive lines. But staff and equipment could run out.

Kyiv – With a large-scale counteroffensive, Ukraine wants to force Russian troops to retreat and liberate territories occupied by Russia. The Russian military, on the other hand, is strengthening its frontline defenses in several regions. The development is particularly striking in the Zaporizhzhia region, where experts suspect the focus of the expected counteroffensive, reports the online portal Kyiv Independent.

In recent weeks, for example, a number of defensive lines with trenches, tank traps, minefields, troop and equipment shelters have been created along the front lines in the Ukraine war, which are currently around 800 kilometers long, on the Crimean peninsula, which has been occupied since 2014, and on Russian territory. Western experts, meanwhile, doubt whether Russia has enough personnel and equipment for its planned defense strategy.

After fighting in the Kharkiv region, Russian troops have withdrawn, leaving behind ammunition and equipment. (Symbolic photo) © Lev Radin/imago-images.de

Ukraine and Russia: Crimean beaches are being converted into trenches

The developments on both sides are particularly evident in the southern regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, as well as in occupied Crimea, where Russian defense lines are said to extend over several kilometers wide. Long trenches have been dug on the beaches of Crimea, which is popular with holidaymakers, for weeks, which could demonstrate Russia's fears of a fierce Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Massive anti-tank barriers and defensive positions have also been set up behind the front lines of Zaporizhzhia, with the help of which the front-line soldiers could retreat in the event of a counteroffensive. According to experts, it is unlikely that more troops could be transferred here to occupy defensive positions behind the front. On the Russian-occupied southern bank of the Dnipro in the Kherson region, Russian troops are to rely entirely on dense minefields instead of a military presence to prevent the landing of Ukrainian liberation troops, which is considered unlikely, reports Kyiv Independent.

Counteroffensive in the Ukraine war: Withdrawal plans as the "only option" for Russia

In the Kharkiv and Luhansk regions in the northeast, satellite images also show massively developed defensive lines along a 140-kilometer line. Front-line soldiers could use them to defend the territories in the event of an attack. According to an expert from the US think tank ISW (Institute for the Study of War), this is the "only option" for Russian troops at this point. "If a Ukrainian breakthrough succeeds here, Ukrainian troops could quickly enter the occupied territories in the Luhansk region," Kyiv Independent quotes ISW contributor Karolina Hird as saying. In terms of personnel, the Russian troops are particularly strong on the fronts in Luhansk - where, however, the soldiers have been involved in fierce fighting for weeks.

The same applies to the Donetsk region, where the area around Bakhmut in particular has been fiercely contested for months. So violent that, according to the Kyiv Independent, it is hardly possible to build up large additional defensive measures in the east of the current war fronts. Around the occupied Donetsk, where separatists have been fighting Ukrainian troops for years, massive fortifications have long been built to keep Ukrainian forces out of the area.

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Ukraine war: Fierce fighting for Vuhledar and Bakhmut in Donetsk region

The situation is particularly problematic for Russian troops in the embattled area of Wuhledar, where heavy losses for Russia have been reported since last autumn: "In the attempts to take Wuhledar, Russia has lost so many soldiers since October that entire naval infantry is said to have already been restaffed three or four times," explained ISW expert Hird. It was precisely here that exhaustion, leadership problems and dwindling morale played a major role among the remaining soldiers.

With initial counterattacks on Russian military positions, Ukrainian troops have reportedly been able to advance into Russian-occupied territories in recent days, especially near Bakhmut. Russian troops have also withdrawn from other areas in recent days due to attacks, leaving behind large quantities of intact equipment and ammunition. Experts suspect that this could have been the beginning of the announced counteroffensive. (saka)