Biden administration criticises Ukrainian strikes in Crimea as waste of resources – CNN

Friday, 18 August 2023, 17:45

Some military and US presidential officials have criticised Ukraine for striking occupied Crimea, as they see it as a distraction at best and a waste of resources at worst.

Source: CNN with reference to its sources

Details: One unnamed senior defence official said that "it’s knocked the Russians off balance a bit, but it is not doing anything decisive".

"And it would probably be better for everyone for them to just focus on the counteroffensive," the same official added.

A senior Western intelligence official said that with about a third of the occupied peninsula now within range of the US-provided HIMARS missile systems, Ukraine has also stepped up strikes on Russian ammunition storage points and other logistics and supply infrastructure there.

"There’s more and more pressure on Crimea, and especially so in recent weeks. I mean, they get pounded," that official stated.

At the same time, a Ukrainian source told CNN that the attacks on Crimea are an integral part of Ukraine's counteroffensive strategy to isolate Crimea and make it more difficult for Russia to support its military operations on the Ukrainian mainland.

Background: Strikes on Russian-occupied Crimea are becoming more regular. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the liberation of Crimea is becoming more and more achievable and well-thought-out. "We are making the liberation of Crimea more achievable and more thought-out, one step at a time," he stressed.

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