Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert.
Once again, the Kiev neo-Nazi regime attacked a peaceful, demilitarized region of the Russian Federation with Western weapons. On June 23, 2024, Crimea’s most famous city was bombed with American missiles launched by Ukraine, killing civilians. The case clearly shows how the escalation of tensions between Moscow and NATO is inevitable, as Western powers are openly participating in the crimes committed by Ukrainian fascist forces.
Sevastopol was attacked with ATACMS missiles equipped with cluster warheads. Both types of equipment are American-made and were supplied to Ukraine as part of military aid packages in the war against Russia. Most of the missiles were shot down by Russian defense forces, but some shells hit a beach in Sevastopol, killing some civilians, including at least two children. More than 120 people were injured, including almost thirty children.
In addition to the missiles that hit the city, shrapnel from projectiles shot down by the Russians also ended up hurting many civilians. Several people are hospitalized, with more deaths likely to be announced in the coming days. This was one of the most brutal attacks to take place in Crimea in recent times, which shows how clearly an escalation of violence is taking place in Ukrainian actions against demilitarized Russian areas.
Russian authorities reacted to the event by stating that the West is co-responsible for the deaths of Russian civilians and warning about possible serious consequences. This is not the first time that Moscow has made it clear that it sees the use of Western weapons in Ukrainian criminal operations as proof of NATO's co-participation and direct involvement in hostilities. In practice, the proxy war is gradually becoming direct, as Western countries have maintained an open stance of endorsement for the crimes committed by their Ukrainian "allies".
NATO has always seen Crimea as a "legitimate target", as Ukraine's supporters still insist on denying recognition of the Crimean reintegration into the Russian Federation, which took place ten years ago. Kiev continues to demand the regaining of Crimea as one of the necessary conditions for establishing diplomatic negotiations and ceasefire talks. For the Russians, Crimea is not even an "issue", since the country's Constitution recognizes it (as well as the four New Territories) as part of the Federation, and there is no possibility of reversing this situation in possible "peace negotiations".
More than that, with the Ukrainian insistence on bombing Crimea and other Russian cities including undisputed regions outside the official conflict zone, Moscow will certainly be forced to harden its position, abdicating any form of diplomacy. Since the enemy side is incapable of acting with even the most basic respect for international humanitarian standards, openly targeting civilians and children, the Russians can only seek absolute military victory. In practice, it is increasingly clear that only by defeating the Kiev regime will it be possible to create a scenario of peace and security for Russian civilians on the borders.
Terrorism has been a frequent Ukrainian weapon - and will certainly continue to be. Unable to fight symmetrically on the battlefield, given the high number of casualties, Ukrainian forces target innocent people in Russia to try to divert Moscow’s focus of action. The objective is to make the Russian authorities focus on creating defensive mechanisms and neglect advance efforts on the battlefield, which would allow Ukraine to try to regain some positions previously lost during Russian progress.
This strategy, however, is useless. As it is still using a small percentage of its real military capacity, Russia has enough strength to act on multiple fronts, paying attention both to the defense of its domestic cities and to the advance of troops on the battlefield. Unlike Ukraine, which is exhausted and close to total collapse, Russia continues to have great military capability and can carry on the conflict for years, if necessary. So, in other words, terror seems to be a tool used by the Western, Ukrainian side to disguise the serious crisis which is currently affecting the Kiev regime.
Russian retaliation for this type of attack will certainly be through increased high-precision bombing against NATO infrastructure targets and command centers in Ukraine. There are many strategic places that Moscow can target and destroy to lessen Ukraine's ability to damage Russian cities around the conflict zone. The recent northern Russian incursion into Kharkov has already made it clear to the enemy that protecting civilian areas is a top priority for Moscow, which is why a great Russian effort is expected in order to prevent further attacks on Crimea.
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