Z-bloggers attack Russian defense ministry over explosions in Crimea, but there is a nuance – ISW

The Russian Ministry of Defense accused Ukrainian forces of allegedly firing short-range ATACMS missiles at temporarily occupied Sevastopol on June 23. But in the aggressor country itself, instead of the usual attacks on Ukraine, they began to criticize their own people.

Russian bloggers directed hate at the defense ministry and the "authorities" of the occupied peninsula for failing to prevent the attack and "protect Russian civilians." This was pointed out by analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

They emphasized how the propagandists criticized the occupiers for not using air raid sirens to warn the Crimean population to seek shelter.

Several "military experts" criticized Russian troops for failing to detect and destroy all missiles before they approached Sevastopol and for failing to build fortified shelters within walking distance of the beach. They compared the lack of shelters on the peninsula's coast to Moscow's efforts to build "bunkers" in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation near the international border with Ukraine.

It is known that the invaders have been deploying military equipment in civilian areas of Crimea since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin irresponsibly encouraged Russian tourism on the occupied peninsula during the war, and used it as a rear foothold for the Russian army.

Therefore, the ISW suggested that the Russian military may have deliberately placed legitimate military targets near civilian areas of Crimea in an attempt to deter Ukrainian strikes.

Similarly, the Russians are using the seized Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and schools in the temporarily occupied areas of Ukraine to protect their military equipment.

"Russia is violating its own provisions on the application of international humanitarian law, which states that "military commanders should avoid placing military objectives in or near densely populated areas," the analysts said.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, Russian residents who were going to illegally go on vacation to the temporarily occupied Crimea began canceling their trips. The Russians got scared after the explosions in Sevastopol on June 23, when the occupiers' air defense shot down a missile right over the beach.

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