“The Russians do a very good job at preparing defensive positions,” Danner wrote in a message, comparing the fortifications around Crimea now to those used by the Soviet Union around Kursk in World War II - a battle that proved decisive in repelling Nazi troops. Army engineer who served in the Persian Gulf War, the Iraq War and Afghanistan. It would require considerable time, effort and equipment to breach Crimea’s northern fortifications head-on, according to Steve Danner, a former U.S. Obstacles have been placed along key roads that connect Crimea to mainland Ukraine. A traditional ground assault would have to come via a far more difficult path. It also lacks the air power to dominate the peninsula from above. It also proved that Crimea, once considered a natural fortress, was vulnerable to modern seaborne attacks.īut Ukraine’s navy is weak. Historians describe that conflict, which made widespread use of trench warfare, as a precursor to World War I. Its beaches also make it a popular vacation destination, although the war has intruded.ĭuring the Crimean War in the 1850s, Russia fought an alliance of European powers. For Russia, it provides a year-round base for its Black Sea Fleet. Trenches, tank traps and dragon’s teethĬrimea has been fought over for centuries because of its strategic location. Senior Russian officials, including former president Dmitry Medvedev, have implied that Moscow would use nuclear weapons to defend Crimea. Mykola Bielieskov, a research fellow at Ukraine’s National Institute for Strategic Studies, a government-financed research institute in Kyiv, said the extent of fortifications was the “best indication” of Russia’s fears.īut some Western officials worry that a direct fight over Crimea could lead to a dangerous escalation.
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