New satellite images show Russian trenches across Crimea, indicating Moscow is prepping to defend the area ahead of an anticipated spring offensive from Ukraine, according to a new report from The Washington Post.
The images show miles of trench defenses have been built in just a few weeks, many along bodies of water.
Ukraine has vowed to retake Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014, and Kyiv has said it won’t consider peace talks unless Russia leaves all occupied territory. Crimea is connected to the Ukrainian mainland by a narrow isthmus.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Crimea last month to mark the ninth anniversary of its annexation from Ukraine, arriving in the peninsula just a day after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest over alleged war crimes. He stressed the strategic importance of holding onto the area.
The international community broadly condemned Russia’s annexation of Crimea back in 2014, and the U.S. has long held that the peninsula is still Ukrainian territory, though the Biden administration has been ambiguous on the Crimea question in relation to eventual peace talks.
Russia’s war on Ukraine has waged on for more than a year, and Ukraine now appears to be prepping for a spring counteroffensive that could begin as soon as this month.
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