Crimea Hamstrung By Infighting As Beaches Closed For Attack Preparation

Russian officials in Crimea are nervous about the coming Ukrainian counteroffensive. And they are blaming each other for problems. JL 

Isabel Van Brugen reports in Newsweek:

Infighting among top Russian officials in Crimea is growing ahead of an anticipated spring counteroffensive from Ukraine that may target the Black Sea peninsula. Authorities in both Crimea and Sevastopol have decided not to hold parades or marches to mark Victory Day on May 9 due to security concerns. Beaches in Crimea have reportedly been closed for swimmers throughout the Black Sea peninsula as Russian forces dig trenches and prepare new defensive positions in anticipation of a counteroffensive from Ukraine

Infighting among top Russian officials in Crimea is growing ahead of an anticipated spring counteroffensive from Ukraine that may target the Black Sea peninsula, a Ukrainian official has said.

Denys Chistikov, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's deputy permanent representative for Crimea, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that Sergey Aksyonov, the Russian politician who has been acting as head of the Crimea since 2014, and Moscow-backed Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev, have not been seeing eye-to-eye recently.

The pair offered conflicting statements this week on whether traditional military parades set to take place next month to celebrate Victory Day—Russia's annual commemoration of the defeat of the Nazis in World War II—had been scrapped in Crimea. The peninsula held its first Victory Day commemorations in 2014 when it was illegally annexed from Ukraine.Aksyonov said on his Telegram channel that authorities in both Crimea and Sevastopol have decided not to hold parades or marches to mark Victory Day on May 9 due to security concerns. Later, Razvozhayev said the decision to cancel the military parade in Sevastopol "has not been made at the moment" and that discussions were underway with Russia's defense ministry on the matter. Sevastopol, along with the rest of Crimea, was annexed from Ukraine by Putin nine years ago, a move that has not been recognized internationally.

Chistikov told RFE/RL that there is no mutual understanding between the pair at the moment, and pointed to the conflicting statements given on the Victory Day parades.

He also implied Aksyonov was snubbed by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Crimea last month.Putin made an unannounced visit to occupied Ukraine in March—his first since he launched a full-scale invasion of Russia's neighboring country—on the heels of theInternational Criminal Court's decision to issue an arrest warrant for the Russian leader for war crimes, citing the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.

"This was also noticeable during Putin's visit to Sevastopol in March 2023, when Aksyonov was not invited to a meeting with him," Chistikov said. "This also indicates that there is a split in the occupation administrations on the territory of the Crimean peninsula."

Aksyonov has said the peninsula is "ready" for a counteroffensive from Ukraine, as multiple Ukrainian leaders have vowed to recapture the peninsula.

Russian troops have been preparing defense fortifications in Crimea ahead of an anticipated Ukrainian advance.

Beaches in Crimea have reportedly been closed for swimmers throughout the Black Sea peninsula as Russian forces dig trenches and prepare new defensive positions in anticipation of a counteroffensive from Ukraine this spring.

According to the Telegram channel of Information Resistance, a Ukrainian non-governmental group that works to combat disinformation, local authorities have closed beaches for swimming throughout Crimea. It published an image showing an empty beach with what appears to be Russian defense fortifications along the shore. Crimean Wind, a Ukrainian news channel on Telegram posted a video that appears to show trenches being built along beaches in Crimea.

Crimea was annexed by Russian President Vladimir Putin from Ukraine in 2014, a move that has not been recognized internationally. A yellow terror threat level has been in place in parts of the peninsula since April 11, 2022, weeks after Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. Russian forces have been fortifying the area amid fears of a Ukrainian advance.