BSix months after the outbreak of Russian aggression against Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s resolve remains intact. The war, imposed by an aggressor far more powerful than the victim, has been particularly difficult in the Donbass, where the Russian steamroller, after the bitter failure of its initial assault on Kyiv, has been advancing even harder.

In quick succession, two attacks on Russian military bases in Crimea show that Ukrainian authorities are refusing to resign themselves to submission. These tactical blows, which have not been officially claimed, do not in any way constitute an offensive in which the Ukrainian army is completely incapacitated in its current state. But they translate into a willingness to expand military options, project a strategy for recapture, and wage war on a landscape of symbols.

These attacks actually re-record the ongoing conflict in the Ukrainian narrative, marking the beginning of the occupation not on February 24, 2022, but eight years earlier, on February 27, 2014, when Russian military operations on the peninsula began. Russian Black Sea Fleet. The latter would lead to a one-sided merger, which a disputed referendum would try to cloak with a veil of legitimacy. The United Nations never recognized it.

New maps

The battle in these stories is as strategic as it is fought with weapons. Until now, the peace enjoyed by Crimea was the starting point for the invasion of Russian troops in southern Ukraine, confirming Vladimir Putin’s thesis of territorial victory, which is no longer in dispute. It was supported by the fact that many Russian citizens who bathed in the waters of the Black Sea stayed on its shores. The deterioration of the situation that led to the hasty departure in recent hours is brutal and tarnishes Moscow’s propaganda.

If it is further confirmed, as some experts believe, they are Due to the unprecedented distance (about 200 kilometers) of the bombers, these attacks will create a new situation. This may force the aggressor to review a good portion of his military organization. Keen not to fuel uncontrolled escalation, Western allies have so far limited themselves to military aid, which in theory would not allow such bombing.

Volodymyr Zelensky showed courage by trying to put the fate of Crimea back on the table militarily and by announcing the creation of a “council for the occupation” of the peninsula. He announced that on August 9 “The war in Ukraine began with Crimea and must end with its liberation”, He confirmed that time for negotiations is shorter than expected as new cards are being played in the current war.

Vladimir Putin condemned the US role at a security conference in Moscow on Tuesday, accusing “pull” The conflict, under pressure, must once again take into account Kyiv’s resilience. Doksa’s prisoner, who turned Crimea into a red line, will have no choice if alleged attacks on Ukraine continue on the peninsula. And then it can contribute to making a war more visible that it wants to hide from the population.