You’ve probably noticed a lot in the news recently about Crimea. Maybe you wondered where Crimea is and why all the fuss?
Crimea
The Autonomous Republic of Crimea is a region in southern Ukraine that sits on a peninsula almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Historically, Crimea was transferred from the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1954.
(Information credited to the Kyiv Independent)
In March 2014, Russian armed forces occupied the Crimean Peninsula. Russia subsequently held a disputed referendum and annexed the region. Over the past decade, Russia has systematically turned Crimea into a giant militarized zone. It’s a logistics hub, a weapons depot, and a launching pad for attacks on mainland Ukraine.
For many Ukrainians, Crimea has never stopped being home. There are people who fled in 2014 and haven’t been able to go back since, losing access to their homeland and everything they built there.
The Kerch Bridge
In 2018, Moscow completed construction of the Kerch Bridge. At the time, it was the only physical link between Crimea and Russia. And now it is one of the strategically important targets in this war. In the summer of 2023, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, large scale attacks were launched against Russian logistics and air defences.
This spring (2026), Ukraine intensified air attacks on military and infrastructure sites in Crimea. The goal is to cut the peninsula off from the rest of the Russian-occupied territories in southern Ukraine and Russian supply lines, as well as targeting critical infrastructure.
The attacks have led to severe fuel shortages and power outages in Crimea. Almost half the peninsula without electricity and causing thousands to flee the region.
Putin’s Worry
The toll of the attacks on the many Russians who live or holiday in Crimea undermines the Kremlin’s strategy to shield most Russians from the impact of the war. The attacks are such that Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation during a Kremlin briefing on June 23, saying, “they [Ukraine] are attempting to disrupt energy supplies and impact the tourism season — intentions they have openly communicated to us through various channels.”
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