"This is our Black Sea": Budanov talks about preparations for a major operation in Crimea

The combat missions of Ukrainian servicemen in the Black Sea and on the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea are preparations for a major operation on the Ukrainian peninsula. According to Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the defenders are currently checking the accuracy of the statements about the ways of approaching and leaving Crimea.

In addition, in this way, the soldiers show Ukrainians in Crimea that they have not been betrayed or forgotten. Budanov spoke about this in the documentary "War for the Sea: From Dnipro to Crimea".

The Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine noted that the combat missions carried out by military intelligence units in the Black Sea and Crimea are of great importance. In addition to preparing for serious operations on the territory of the peninsula, the defenders are showing Ukrainians in Crimea that they have not been forgotten.

"These are all preparations for a serious operation in Crimea. This is a test of the correctness of our statements about the ways of approaching and leaving from there. In addition, this is a good message for the population that has been living under occupation for 10 years. Many believe that they have been forgotten. There are people who love Ukraine but believe they have been betrayed. There are a lot of such people, a lot of them stayed there," Budanov said.

In the documentary, the reconnaissance men told about key operations in southern Ukraine in 2022-2023. In particular, the fighters of the "Shaman" Special Forces recalled how they took advantage of the occupants' inattention and crossed to the left bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson region.

The commander of the special unit with the call sign "Shaman" said that when the defenders realized that the enemy was not sufficiently aware of the situation, they transferred personnel to the left bank of the Kherson region.

"There were several intense clashes with enemy observation posts at once. Some observation posts were almost completely destroyed or captured," the soldier recalls.

In addition, in the summer of 2023, Ukrainian soldiers returned the Ukraine oil and gas production platform to state control, and then participated in the Crimean operation "Awakening of Strength".

"The enemy will never have dominance in the sea, no matter what they think. This is our Black Sea, our "rigs", our Crimea, our Snake Island," said the commander of the DIU special forces.

As a reminder, on the night of March 5, Ukrainian defenders destroyed the patrol ship Sergey Kotov of the Russian Black Sea Fleet off the coast of occupied Crimea. The enemy vessel was targeted by naval drones, and new footage of the attack has been posted online.

Earlier it was reported that Ukraine's constant attacks are pushing the Russian fleet to the east of the Black Sea, jeopardizing Moscow's control over the Crimean peninsula. Since February 2022, the Russian Black Sea Fleet has suffered huge losses.

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