Through drone strikes on Russian ships and logistics routes, Ukraine is attempting to isolate the temporarily occupied Crimea and achieve the outcome it had planned to attain through a ground counteroffensive in 2023.
This view was expressed in an interview with Ukrinform by Colonel Markus Reisner of the Austrian Armed Forces, head of the Officer Training Institute at the Theresian Military Academy.
“Ukraine is now trying to use drones to create the very same situation it wanted to achieve in 2023 with a ground offensive: to isolate Crimea. The strategy is to create the same logistical nightmare that was hoped for back then—one that could actually force Russia to the negotiating table. It is precisely this plan that is now being implemented,” Reisner said.
He recalled that during the 2023 counteroffensive, Ukraine planned to advance in the Zaporizhzhia region toward the Sea of Azov, cut off Russia’s land-based supply lines, and combine this with a strike on the Kerch Bridge.
“The operational plan was to cut off Crimea from supplies and create a real logistical nightmare for Russia,” the military expert noted.
