On August 16, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced casualties as a result of a "sabotage operation" in an ammunition depot, and said that the damage extended to an electricity station, a railway line, and residential homes, and evacuated about two thousand residents of the town of Maiskoy in northern Crimea.

August 9, 2022

On the ninth of August, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the explosion of air munitions in the area of ​​the Saki military airport, causing explosions near the town of Novovidorovka in the Crimea, and Reuters reported, quoting eyewitnesses, that at least a dozen explosions were heard.

August 11, 2022

A few days later, the British Defense confirmed the destruction of at least eight Russian fighters, "Su-24" and "Su-30" in Saki, contrary to Russian allegations, and the base was severely damaged, which affected the efficiency of the air forces of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea.

August 1, 2022

Earlier this month, Russia said a drone attack had caused casualties at the headquarters of its Black Sea Fleet in the city of Sevastopol in Crimea.

The attack forced the city to cancel the Russian Navy Day celebrations and to move the celebration that Putin attended to Saint Petersburg.

Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 against the will of Ukraine (Al-Jazeera)

17 July 2022

On July 17, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that Ukraine and Western powers' refusal to recognize Moscow's authority over Crimea represented "a direct threat to Russia and that any external attack on the region would be followed by an earthquake response."

This came a day after a Ukrainian official said that Crimea could be a target for the US-made Hemars missiles deployed by Kyiv.

June 20, 222

On June 20, the local pro-Russian authorities in the Crimea announced that Ukrainian attacks had targeted three naval platforms located about 150 kilometers from the Crimea and affiliated with a company in the Black Sea.

We recall that the goal of protecting the Crimea and extracting Kyiv's recognition of Moscow's sovereignty over it were among the most prominent goals of Russia's war on Ukraine.

This prompted the Russian forces to fight desperately for control of the Kherson region, which is the gateway to Crimea, to ensure the flow of the waters of the Dnipro River and to reconnect the peninsula to the railway network.

Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, against Ukraine's will, and imposed a fait accompli using its military and local forces loyal to it.