In the north of Crimea, in the area of the "Armyansk" checkpoint and the Perekop Wall, the Russians have set up a double line of trenches. They started building it at least from the fall of 2022.
The "Schemy" project writes about this with reference to satellite images.
The first signs of construction were visible as early as November 2022, and in the spring of 2023 it was significantly expanded and branched out. Both lines are connected by trenches, and positions for military equipment have also been set up there.
The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense confirms that the Russians are strengthening the north of Crimea the most.
"The infrastructure is maintained in combat readiness: a powerful land and aviation component located on the territory of Crimea, about ninety combat aircraft, about sixty combat helicopters located on the territory of Crimea. A group was created, a defense group, which is currently carrying out measures regarding the equipment of fortifications, the equipment of the defense line," commented the deputy head of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Vadym Skibitskyi.
- Russia occupied Crimea after a forceful blockade by Ukrainian military units and an illegal referendum on March 16, 2014. The Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly stated that they are determined to de-occupy all Ukrainian territories captured by Russia since 2014, including Crimea.
- Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov suggested that Ukraine can return Crimea without a fight against the background of the internal crisis in the Russian Federation.