Ukraine has no restrictions on strikes against occupiers in Crimea – Defence Minister

OLENA ROSHCHINA — WEDNESDAY, 17 AUGUST 2022, 11:34 

Ukraine has pledged not to use Western weapons on the territory of Russia, but the partners did not impose restrictions on strikes on Russian military facilities in occupied Crimea.

Source: Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov in an interview with "Voice Of America"

Details: The interviewer asked Reznikov whether Ukraine has weapons that can hit targets in occupied Crimea, and whether there are any agreements with the United States on the legitimacy of such strikes in Crimea.

Quote from Reznikov: "We have agreements with the United States that we will not use weapons provided to us by the United States and partners on targets in the territory of the Russian Federation. But if today we are talking about liberation of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, where the enemy is located, then we have no such restrictions.

Regarding weapons: any weapon has an appropriate distance of destruction. Therefore, depending on which point, from which location the defeat is applied or plans to be applied, it will indicate whether a particular goal can be achieved."

Details: Reznikov also recalled that there were many people who did not believe in the possibility of knocking the "Moskva" cruiser out – but the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet has already been sunk.

Background:

• On 13 April, Ukrainian anti-ship "Neptune" missiles hit the missile cruiser "Moskva" of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. On 14 April, the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation confirmed the explosion on the cruiser. The Russian missile cruiser Moskva, gutted by fire, sank while being towed to Sevastopol.
• On 9 August, explosions occurred at the military airbase near Novofedorivka, in the Saky district of Russian-occupied Crimea, Russia has lost approximately 9 military aircraft there. "Fire safety violation" is what Russia is calling the main reason for the explosion of ammunition.
• On 16 August, a fire broke out at an ammunition site near the village of Maiske in the Dzhankoi district of occupied Crimea, the railway between Azovske and Rozizd stations was also damaged by detonations. The Ministry of Defence of Russia has stated that the cause of the explosion at the ammunition storage site near Dzhankoi in Crimea was sabotage.
• The Department of Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports that the Russians were unloading military equipment and ammunition in the area of the Azov railway station [the northern part of peninsula] damaged by explosions in occupied Crimea; and Russian anti-aircraft missile systems were located in the area of the airfield near Dzhankoi.
• British intelligence has suggested that after the explosions at the Saky airfield in Novofedorivka and the explosions in Maiske near Dzhankoi, Russian commanders will likely be increasingly concerned with the apparent deterioration of security across Crimea, which functions as a rear base area for the occupation of the southern part of mainland Ukraine.

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