SIMFEROPOL, April 11. /TASS/. Russia's armed forces have built a sophisticated, layered defense in Crimea and continue to be provided with everything they need to defend the peninsula, Crimea’s head Sergey Aksyonov told the media on Tuesday. The Russian forces are ready for a Ukrainian counterattack, so the region is certain that there will be no disaster, he pointed out.
"Regarding Ukraine’s counterattack on Crimea, which is now the topic on everyone’s tongue. It is wrong to underestimate the enemy, but it is absolutely right to say that we are ready for it and there will be no catastrophe," Aksyonov said.
He considers the decision to build defenses in Crimea and on the outskirts of the peninsula correct and justified.
"This does not mean that these fortifications will have to be used. We had to prepare for any development, which we did. I can say that our Armed Forces have built a modern, layered defense. A great deal has been done and continues to be done to provide our defenders with everything they need. The forces that are on guard are more than enough," Aksyonov noted.
The speaker of Crimea’s legislature (State Council), Vladimir Konstantinov, has told TASS that the Ukrainian army will be unable to cut the overland corridor to Crimea because this route is well fortified by the Russian military.
"Strategically, the enemy cannot defeat Russia. Everyone understands this. It is impossible to defeat us. Therefore, they need to create at least some kind of an impression of victory by making some kind of successful offensive operation with some kind of consequence. The overland corridor that was formed with the liberation of the new regions is of a strategic nature for Crimea and for the new territories. They will be trying hard to destroy it, but they won't succeed. The corridor is well fortified and protected by our armed forces," Konstantinov said.
The Crimean parliamentary speaker doubts if Kiev's intentions to attack in this direction are realistic.
"We are in an era of information warfare. Certainly, it can also be a distraction. They have been speculating about their intentions for months, but do they really want to attack here?" Konstantinov added.
Current situation
On April 4, the leader of the We are Together with Russia movement, Vladimir Rogov, told TASS that the Ukrainian army might begin active operations in the coming days, which may look like either reconnaissance in force or an offensive in the Zaporozhye Region. According to his estimates, in the event of an offensive, the Ukrainian army, due to their lack of resources, will avoid fighting in the cities and instead try to break through towards the Sea of Azov east of Melitopol in order to cut the overland corridor to Crimea. On March 27, Rogov told TASS that the Ukrainian army had already amassed up to 75,000 troops in the Zaporozhye area after an attempted offensive on March 23, thwarted by Russian forces. Ukraine lost as many as 400 soldiers.