A web of trenches shows Russia fears losing Crimea
With Ukrainian leaders vowing to retake all of their territory occupied by Russia, Moscow has readied elaborate defenses, especially in Crimea, the peninsula it annexed illegally in 2014, which is now one of the most fortified in the war zone.
After weeks of digging, the area around the small town of Medvedivka, near a crossing to mainland Ukraine, is webbed with an elaborate trench system stretching several miles. The passages are cut into the earth at angles to give soldiers a broader range of fire. Nearby are other fortifications, including deep ditches designed to trap tanks and heavy vehicles.
Satellite images provided to The Washington Post by Maxar, a commercial space technology company, show that Russia has built dozens of similar defenses.
“The Russian military, apparently, understands that Crimea will have to be defended in the near future,” said Ian Matveev, a Russian military analyst.
Medvedivka, Feb. 11
Trenches
500 FT
Detail
MEDVEDIVKA
3,000 feet
of trenches
To mainland
Ukraine
HIGHWAY M18
To Dzhankoi
Trenches
Piles of
dragon’s
teeth
Vehicle
placing the
obstacles
Three rows of
dragon’s teeth
Likely piles
of materials
Trenches
Linear trenches
Wood used
to reinforce
trenches
Fighting
vehicles
Military
depot
Medvedivka, Feb. 11
Trenches
500 FT
Detail
MEDVEDIVKA
3,000 feet
of trenches
To mainland
Ukraine
HIGHWAY M18
To Dzhankoi
Trenches
Piles of
dragon’s
teeth
Vehicle
placing the
obstacles
Three rows of
dragon’s teeth
Likely piles
of materials
Trenches
Linear trenches
Wood used
to reinforce
trenches
Armoured
fighting
vehicles
Military
depot
Medvedivka, Feb. 11
Trenches
N
Detail
1,000 FEET
MEDVEDIVKA
Trenches spanning
more than 3,000 feet
To mainland
Ukraine
HIGHWAY M18
To Dzhankoi
Trenches
Trenches
Piles of
dragon’s
teeth
Vehicle
placing the
obstacles
Three rows of
dragon’s teeth
Likely piles
of materials
Trenches
Armoured
fighting vehicles
Linear trenches
Wood used
to reinforce
trenches
Towed
artillery
guns
Military depot
Medvedivka, Feb. 11
N
Trenches
Detail
1,000 FEET
SYVASH
LAKE
MEDVEDIVKA
Trenches spanning
more than 3,000 feet
To mainland
Ukraine
HIGHWAY M18
To Dzhankoi
Trenches
Trenches
Piles of
dragon’s
teeth
Vehicle
placing the
obstacles
Three rows of
dragon’s teeth
Likely piles
of materials
Trenches
Armoured
fighting vehicles
Linear trenches
Wood used
to reinforce
trenches
Tanks
Towed
artillery
guns
Military depot
Self-propelled
artillery
Medvedivka, Feb. 11
N
Trenches
Detail
1,000 FEET
SYVASH
LAKE
MEDVEDIVKA
Trenches spanning
more than 3,000 feet
To mainland
Ukraine
HIGHWAY M18
To Dzhankoi
Trenches
Trenches
Piles of
dragon’s
teeth
Vehicle
placing the
obstacles
Three rows of
dragon’s teeth
Likely piles
of materials
Trenches
Armoured
fighting vehicles
Linear trenches
Wood used
to reinforce
trenches
Tanks
Towed
artillery
guns
Towed
artillery guns
Military depot
Tank
company
Self-propelled
artillery
Medvedivka, Feb. 11
Trenches
N
Detail
1,000 FEET
MEDVEDIVKA
SYVASH
LAKE
Trenches spanning
more than 3,000 feet
To mainland
Ukraine
HIGHWAY M18
To Dzhankoi
Trenches
Trenches
Piles of
dragon’s
teeth
Vehicle
placing the
obstacles
Three rows of
dragon’s teeth
Likely piles
of materials
Trenches
Armoured
fighting vehicles
Linear trenches
Wood used
to reinforce
trenches
Trenches
Tanks
Towed
artillery
guns
Towed
artillery guns
Military depot
Self-propelled
artillery
Tank
company
Medvedivka, Feb. 11
Trenches
Detail
N
1,000 FEET
SYVASH
LAKE
MEDVEDIVKA
Trenches spanning
more than 3,000 feet
To mainland
Ukraine
HIGHWAY M18
To Dzhankoi
Trenches
Trenches
Piles of
dragon’s
teeth
Vehicle
placing the
obstacles
Three rows of
dragon’s teeth
Likely piles
of materials
Trenches
Armoured
fighting vehicles
Linear trenches
Wood used
to reinforce
trenches
Tanks
Towed
artillery
guns
Towed
artillery guns
Military depot
Tank
company
Self-propelled
artillery
Crimea in context
1/4
The defenses have sprung up fast, ahead of an expected spring offensive by Ukraine. In just a few weeks, Russia built miles of fortifications near Vitino, a town on Crimea’s western coast — even though analysts say an amphibious assault is unlikely.
The BTM-3, a Soviet-era trenching machine, digs as fast as half a mile per hour, even when the ground is frozen. The U.S. Army once marveled at these machines, writing in an internal 1980 report that nothing comparable existed in the United States, Europe or Japan.
BTM-3 trenching machine
This trench-digging machine has a rotor with buckets at the rear. The rotor is lowered behind the vehicle to dig the trenches.
23 FT
The rotor unloads the soil next to the trench, creating front and rear parapets that are about 1.5 feet tall and provide additional protection.
Parapets
Up to
5 ft
The BTM-3 digs straight, zigzag or curved trenches. It can dig 3½-foot-deep basic trenches or 5-foot-deep full-size trenches. In both cases the width at the bottom of the trench is about 2 feet.
Dragon’s teeth
Pyramidal antitank bollards.
About
4 feet tall
BTM-3 trenching machine
This trench-digging machine has a rotor with buckets at the rear. The rotor is lowered behind the vehicle to dig the trenches.
23 FT
The rotor unloads the soil next to the trench, creating front and rear parapets that are about 1.5 feet tall and provide additional protection.
Parapets
Up to 5 ft
The BTM-3 digs straight, zigzag or curved trenches. It can dig 3½-foot-deep basic trenches or 5-foot-deep full-size trenches. In both cases the width at the bottom of the trench is about 2 feet.
Dragon’s teeth
Pyramidal antitank bollards.
About
4 feet tall
BTM-3 trenching machine
This trench-digging machine has a rotor with buckets at the rear. The rotor is lowered behind the vehicle to dig the trenches.
23 FEET
The rotor unloads the soil next to the trench, creating front and rear parapets that are about 1.5 feet tall and provide additional protection.
The BTM-3 digs straight, zigzag or curved trenches. It can dig 3½-foot-deep basic trenches or 5-foot-deep full-size trenches. In both cases the width at the bottom of the trench is about 2 feet.
Up to 5 ft
Dragon’s teeth
Pyramidal antitank bollards.
About
4 feet tall
BTM-3 trenching machine
This trench-digging machine has a rotor with buckets at the rear. The rotor is lowered behind the vehicle to dig the trenches.
23 FEET
The rotor unloads the soil next to the trench, creating front and rear parapets that are about 1.5 feet tall and provide additional protection.
The BTM-3 digs straight, zigzag or curved trenches. It can dig 3½-foot-deep basic trenches or 5-foot-deep full-size trenches. In both cases the width at the bottom of the trench is about 2 feet.
Up to 5 feet
Dragon’s teeth
Pyramidal antitank bollards.
About
4 feet tall
Russia also uses raw manpower. Online Russian job listings have sought construction workers to fit trenches in Crimea with wood and concrete, for pay of more than $90 a day — enviable wages.
Satellite imagery shows that some obstacles in Crimea were built in a matter of days.
CRIMEA
Detail
Vitino
Feb. 27
50 FT
Mar. 12
Detail
CRIMEA
Medvedivka
Jan. 3
400 FT
Feb. 11
CRIMEA
Detail
Vitino
Feb. 27
50 FT
Mar. 12
Detail
CRIMEA
Medvedivka
Jan. 3
400 FT
Feb. 11
CRIMEA
Detail
Vitino
Feb. 27
Mar. 12
50 FEET
Detail
CRIMEA
Medvedivka
Jan. 3
Feb. 11
400 FEET
CRIMEA
Detail
Vitino
Feb. 27
Mar. 12
50 FEET
Detail
CRIMEA
Medvedivka
Jan. 3
Feb. 11
400 FEET
The future of Crimea is a fraught subject. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pledged to return it to his country’s control, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed never to give it up.
The region’s geography presents major difficulties for both Ukraine and Russia. Crimea is connected to mainland Ukraine by a narrow, swampy passage of land that could stall an offensive. But its proximity to the front could also prove dangerous for Russia’s occupation, isolating its forces and putting them in easy reach of Ukrainian weapons."
Though Russia has built defenses elsewhere, the scale in Crimea stands out. “For Putin, Crimea is just a sacred cow,” Matveev said. “If something happens, troops will be immediately sent to this line of defense.”
Satellite imagery reveals that many of Russia’s defenses were built along bodies of water, adding an extra obstacle against a potential Ukrainian ground offensive.
Fortifications across Crimea
Armiansk, Feb. 16
Detail
Piles of
dragon’s teeth
CRIMEA
CANAL
Trenches
1,000 FT
Maslove, Jan. 3
Pile of
dragon’s
teeth
Dragon’s teeth
CANAL
300 FT
Trenches
Novoivanivka, Jan. 3
Dragon’s
teeth
NORTH CRIMEAN CANAL
300 FT
Trenches
Fortifications across Crimea
Armiansk, Feb. 16
Piles of
dragon’s teeth
Detail
CRIMEA
CANAL
Trenches
1,000 FT
Maslove, Jan. 3
Pile of
dragon’s
teeth
Dragon’s teeth
CANAL
300 FT
Trenches
Novoivanivka, Jan. 3
Dragon’s
teeth
NORTH CRIMEAN CANAL
300 FT
Trenches
Fortifications across Crimea
Armiansk, Feb. 16
Pile of
dragon’s teeth
Detail
CRIMEA
CANAL
Trenches
1,000 FEET
Maslove, Jan. 3
Pile of
dragon’s
teeth
Dragon’s teeth
CANAL
300 FEET
Trenches
Novoivanivka, Jan. 3
Dragon’s
teeth
NORTH CRIMEAN CANAL
300 FEET
Trenches
Fortifications across Crimea
Armiansk, Feb. 16
Piles of
dragon’s teeth
Detail
CRIMEA
CANAL
Trenches
1,000 FEET
Maslove, Jan. 3
Pile of
dragon’s
teeth
Dragon’s teeth
CANAL
300 FEET
Trenches
Novoivanivka, Jan. 3
300 FEET
Dragon’s
teeth
NORTH CRIMEAN CANAL
Trenches
Mykola Bielieskov, a research fellow at Ukraine’s National Institute for Strategic Studies, a government-financed research institute in Kyiv, said the extent of fortifications was the “best indication” of Russia’s fears.
But some Western officials worry that a direct fight over Crimea could lead to a dangerous escalation. Senior Russian officials, including former president Dmitry Medvedev, have implied that Moscow would use nuclear weapons to defend Crimea.
Trenches, tank traps and dragon’s teeth
Crimea has been fought over for centuries because of its strategic location. For Russia, it provides a year-round base for its Black Sea Fleet. Its beaches also make it a popular vacation destination, although the war has intruded.
During the Crimean War in the 1850s, Russia fought an alliance of European powers. Historians describe that conflict, which made widespread use of trench warfare, as a precursor to World War I. It also proved that Crimea, once considered a natural fortress, was vulnerable to modern seaborne attacks.
But Ukraine’s navy is weak. It also lacks the air power to dominate the peninsula from above. A traditional ground assault would have to come via a far more difficult path.
Obstacles have been placed along key roads that connect Crimea to mainland Ukraine.
Fortifications
Melitopol
Kherson
UKRAINE
Russian-held
Sea
of Azov
20 MI
Dzhankoy
Kerch
CRIMEA
RUS.
Black
Sea
Sevastopol
Fortifications
Melitopol
Kherson
UKRAINE
Russian-held
area
KHERSON
OBLAST
Sea
of Azov
20 MI
Dzhankoy
Kerch
CRIMEA
RUS.
Simferopol
Sevastopol
Black
Sea
Yalta
ZAPORIZH.
OBLAST
Melitopol
Berdyansk
Mykolayiv
Kherson
UKRAINE
Fortifications
Russian-held
area
KHERSON OBLAST
Syvash
Sea
of Azov
Karkinit
Bay
Dzhankoy
20 MILES
Kerch
CRIMEA
RUSSIA
Annexed by
Russia in 2014
Yevpatoriya
Simferopol
Black
Sea
Black
Sea
Sevastopol
Yalta
ZAPORIZH.
OBLAST
Mykolayiv
Melitopol
Berdyansk
Kherson
UKRAINE
Fortifications
Dniper’s Gulf
Russian-held
area
KHERSON OBLAST
Syvash
Sea
of Azov
Karkinit
Bay
Dzhankoy
20 MILES
Kerch
CRIMEA
RUSSIA
Annexed by
Russia in 2014
Yevpatoriya
Simferopol
Black
Sea
Black
Sea
Sevastopol
Yalta
Melitopol
Kherson
UKRAINE
Russian-held
Sea
of Azov
20 MI
Fortifications
Dzhankoy
Kerch
CRIMEA
RUS.
Black
Sea
Sevastopol
Melitopol
Kherson
UKRAINE
Russian-held
area
Sea
of Azov
20 MI
Fortifications
Dzhankoy
Kerch
CRIMEA
RUS.
Simferopol
Sevastopol
Black
Sea
Yalta
ZAPORIZH.
OBLAST
Melitopol
Berdyansk
Mykolayiv
Kherson
UKRAINE
Russian-held
area
KHERSON OBLAST
Syvash
Sea
of Azov
Isthmus
of Perekop
Fortifications
Dzhankoy
20 MILES
Kerch
CRIMEA
RUSSIA
Annexed by
Russia in 2014
Yevpatoriya
Simferopol
Black
Sea
Black
Sea
Sevastopol
Yalta
ZAPORIZH.
OBLAST
Mykolayiv
Melitopol
Berdyansk
Kherson
UKRAINE
Dniper’s Gulf
Russian-held
area
KHERSON OBLAST
Syvash
Isthmus
of Perekop
Sea
of Azov
Karkinit
Bay
Fortifications
Dzhankoy
20 MILES
Kerch
CRIMEA
RUSSIA
Annexed by
Russia in 2014
Yevpatoriya
Simferopol
Black
Sea
Black
Sea
Sevastopol
Yalta
Melitopol
Kherson
UKRAINE
Russian-held
Sea
of Azov
M18
M17
20 MI
Arabat Spit
Dzhankoy
Kerch
CRIMEA
RUS.
Nearly
20 miles
Black
Sea
Sevastopol
Melitopol
Kherson
UKRAINE
Russian-held
area
KHERSON
OBLAST
Sea
of Azov
M18
M17
20 MI
Arabat Spit
Dzhankoy
Kerch
CRIMEA
RUS.
Nearly
20 miles
Simferopol
Sevastopol
Black
Sea
Yalta
ZAPORIZH.
OBLAST
Melitopol
Berdyansk
Mykolayiv
Kherson
UKRAINE
Russian-held
area
KHERSON OBLAST
M18
Syvash
M17
Sea
of Azov
Karkinit
Bay
Arabat Spit
Dzhankoy
20 MILES
Kerch
CRIMEA
RUSSIA
Annexed by
Russia in 2014
Yevpatoriya
Nearly
20 miles
Simferopol
Black
Sea
Black
Sea
Sevastopol
Yalta
ZAPORIZH.
OBLAST
Mykolayiv
Melitopol
Berdyansk
Kherson
UKRAINE
Dniper’s Gulf
Russian-held
area
KHERSON OBLAST
M18
M17
Syvash
Sea
of Azov
Karkinit
Bay
Arabat Spit
Dzhankoy
20 MILES
Kerch
CRIMEA
RUSSIA
Annexed by
Russia in 2014
Yevpatoriya
Nearly
20 miles
Simferopol
Black
Sea
Black
Sea
Sevastopol
Yalta
For months, Russian forces have been building fortifications along key points of access in the Kherson region. They have also built fortifications near Melitopol, across what is known as the “land bridge” connecting Crimea to Russia through occupied Ukrainian territory.
More recently, Russia has heavily fortified its defenses on the peninsula, which is connected to the Ukrainian mainland by the Isthmus of Perekop, a narrow strip of land measuring 4.3 miles at its widest.
Geography may be Crimea’s best defense. Only two major roads lead onto the peninsula from the north. The M17 in the west is now heavily fortified, and the M18 in the east crosses a bridge that could be demolished. The Syvash lagoons, also known as the Putrid Sea, limit large-scale military movements, and the Arabat Spit to the east has mostly unpaved roads.
Russia has also built trenches along 20 miles of coastline in western Crimea, near Vitino. Satellite imagery from on March 31 shows that towed artillery has been added in the same area. Some analysts said the weapons’ deployment far from the active battlefield was perplexing.
Near Vitino, Mar. 12
Detail
Dragon’s
teeth
Trenches
Sand berm
200 FT
BLACK SEA
Mar. 31
Towed
artillery
50 FT
BLACK
SEA
Near Vitino, Mar. 12
Detail
Dragon’s
teeth
Trenches
Pile of
dragon’s
teeth
Sand berm
200 FT
BLACK SEA
Mar. 31
Towed
artillery
BLACK
SEA
50 FT
Near Vitino, Mar. 12
Detail
Dragon’s
teeth
200 FEET
Trenches
Pile of
dragon’s
teeth
Sand berm
BLACK SEA
Mar. 31
Towed artillery
100 FEET
BLACK SEA
Near Vitino, Mar. 12
Detail
Dragon’s
teeth
Trenches
200 FEET
Pile of
dragon’s
teeth
Sand
berm
BLACK SEA
Mar. 31
Towed artillery
100 FEET
BLACK SEA
The battle for Crimea
It would require considerable time, effort and equipment to breach Crimea’s northern fortifications head-on, according to Steve Danner, a former U.S. Army engineer who served in the Persian Gulf War, the Iraq War and Afghanistan.
“The Russians do a very good job at preparing defensive positions,” Danner wrote in a message, comparing the fortifications around Crimea now to those used by the Soviet Union around Kursk in World War II — a battle that proved decisive in repelling Nazi troops.
Michael Kofman, a military analyst at CNA in Virginia, said that Ukraine is unlikely to seize Crimea in “the classical sense,” but that Kyiv could pursue a strategy of exhaustion by establishing fire control over access to Crimea.
“Over time it could make the situation in Crimea untenable, such that Russia might have to negotiate over its status,” Kofman said.
Ukraine is already testing this strategy. Since August, more than 70 suspected attacks by Ukrainian forces or their collaborators have targeted Russian sites in or near Crimea, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.
Many have been airstrikes, including attacks by drones. Some appear to have been the work of saboteurs. Though Russia intercepted some strikes, others succeeded — at times with devastating results.
Air, drone, artillery or explosive
attacks on Crimea
Successful
Intercepted
UKRAINE
Russian-held
area
Sea
of Azov
CRIMEA
RUS.
20 MI
Black
Sea
Oct. 8
Crimean
bridge
MAR.
2022
MAY
JULY
SEPT.
NOV.
JAN.
2023
MAR.
Events within 5 miles of each other are grouped
together. Each event may include multiple
individual strikes. Artillery includes shelling and
missile attacks. Some events may not be included
because of data availability. Data as of Mar. 21.
Air, drone, artillery or explosive attacks on Crimea
Successful
Intercepted
Kherson
UKRAINE
Russian-held
area
Sea
of Azov
Karkinit
Bay
Dzhankoy
Kerch
CRIMEA
RUS.
20 MI
Black
Sea
Sevastopol
Oct. 8
Crimean
bridge
MAR.
2022
MAY
JULY
SEPT.
NOV.
JAN.
2023
MAR.
Events within 5 miles of each other are grouped together.
Each event may include multiple individual strikes.
Artillery includes shelling and missile attacks. Some events
may not be included because of data availability.
Data as of Mar. 21.
Air, drone, artillery or explosive attacks on Crimea
Successful
Intercepted
Kherson
UKRAINE
Russian-held
area
Sea
of Azov
Karkinit
Bay
Dzhankoy
Kerch
CRIMEA
RUS.
Annexed by
Russia in 2014
20 MILES
Black
Sea
Black
Sea
Sevastopol
Yalta
Oct. 8
Crimean
bridge
MAR.
2022
MAY
JULY
SEPT.
NOV.
JAN.
2023
MAR.
Events within 5 miles of each other are grouped together. Each event may include multiple
individual strikes. Artillery includes shelling and missile attacks. Some events may not
be included because of data availability. Data as of Mar. 21.
Air, drone, artillery or explosive attacks on Crimea
Successful
Intercepted
Kherson
Dniper’s Gulf
UKRAINE
Russian-held
area
Syvash
Sea
of Azov
Karkinit
Bay
Dzhankoy
Kerch
CRIMEA
RUSSIA
Annexed by
Russia in 2014
Yevpatoriya
20 MILES
Simferopol
Black
Sea
Black
Sea
Sevastopol
Yalta
Oct. 8
Crimean
bridge
MAR.
2022
APR.
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUG.
SEPT.
OCT.
NOV.
DEC.
JAN.
2023
FEB.
MAR.
Events within 5 miles of each other are grouped together. Each event may include multiple individual strikes. Artillery includes
shelling and missile attacks. Some events may not be included because of data availability. Data as of Mar. 21.
In August, at least six explosions rocked Saki air base near Crimea’s western coast. Officials later said that Ukrainian special forces had carried out the attack, which damaged or destroyed at least eight military aircraft.
Strikes have also targeted Dzhankoy, a town in northern Crimea that is an important logistical hub for Russian forces in southern Ukraine. Explosions rocked the city on March 20. They were later linked to a drone attack targeting Russian cruise missiles that were being transported by rail.
Perhaps the most spectacular attack took place on Oct. 8, when the Crimean Bridge over the Kerch Strait was damaged by an explosion. The 12-mile bridge was constructed after Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and provides road and rail links to Russia.
The future
Ben Hodges, a former commander of U.S. Army Europe and now an adviser with Human Rights First, said that unless Ukraine retakes Crimea, its economy will remain vulnerable. Russia could use Crimea’s ports to block Ukrainian trade, for example, or as a staging ground for future conflict.
“Ukraine will never be safe or secure or able to rebuild its economy so long as Russia occupies Crimea, because it blocks access to the Azov Sea and because the Black Sea Fleet is able to dominate the Black Sea coastline and ports of Ukraine,” Hodges said.
Hodges called on the United States to supply longer-range missiles to help force Russia out, including the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), which can hit targets up to 186 miles away, potentially putting all of Crimea in range.
The fortifications on Crimea mean that Russia would be prepared for a long fight. Speaking to Russian state media this month, Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-appointed head of Crimea, said work on Crimea’s “defensive line” was on schedule.
“I stand by the position: If you want peace, prepare for war,” Aksyonov said.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment