Russia Moving Equipment 'En Masse' to Crimea, Photos Suggest
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Russian forces are moving military equipment, including air defense systems, "en masse" into Crimea, a pro-Ukrainian partisan group operating on the peninsula said on Monday.
Why It Matters
Russia annexed Crimea, the peninsula to the south of mainland Ukraine, in 2014. Moscow has controlled the territory ever since, although Kyiv has vowed to reclaim it.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that senior U.S. officials had presented Ukraine with a ceasefire proposal during a meeting in Paris with European officials last week which could include a U.S. recognition of Russian control over Crimea.
The peninsula has been key for Russian operations up through the south of mainland Ukraine, and as a launching pad for aerial attacks across the war-torn country.
Kyiv has doggedly attacked high-value Russian assets based in Crimea, from air bases to ships and air defense systems.
Russian servicemen take part in drills in Crimea on January 25, 2025.
Russian servicemen take part in drills in Crimea on January 25, 2025.
Konstantin Mihalchevskiy / Sputnik via AP
What To Know
Atesh, a pro-Ukrainian partisan group active in Crimea and other parts of Russian-controlled Ukrainian territory, said on Monday that Moscow's forces had started to move air defense systems and other military equipment "en masse" throughout the peninsula.
The network, which funnels intelligence on Russian operations to Ukrainian authorities and organizes resistance efforts, said in a post to messaging app Telegram the transport of equipment was "often uncoordinated and chaotic."
The group said it had received information from unspecified "agents" within Russia's military, indicating Moscow was trying to strengthen security in Crimea. The group shared photos of what appear to be military vehicles moving through unspecified areas of Crimea.
Newsweek could not independently verify these reports, and has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry and Ukrainian military for comment via email.
Ukraine has said throughout the war it has targeted major airfields in across Crimea, including in the northern area of Dzhankoi and the Saky air base, close to the western settlement of Novofedorivka.
Although Kyiv does not have a large navy, its creative use of naval and aerial drones, as well as missile strikes, have forced Moscow to relocate high-value assets like warships and submarines further east in the Black Sea, and look toward pro-Russian Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia, for a new foothold in the Black Sea.
The Atesh movement said in July 2024 that Russia had redeployed air defense systems to shield the Kerch Bridge from western Crimea.
The structure, a road and rail crossing also known as the Crimean Bridge, was built shortly after Russia annexed the peninsula. It was personally unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018, making it an appealing propaganda, as well as military, target for Ukraine.
It links eastern Crimea with internationally recognized Russian territory. The bridge is "doomed," the head of Ukraine's SBU security service, Vasyl Maliuk, said in late 2023.
Atesh said on Monday the bridge "must be destroyed," and appealed to local residents to provide information on the location of air defense systems, routines of Russian forces and the deployment of military equipment in the area.
Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency said in June last year that Russia had placed parts of an "experimental" S-500 air defense system in Crimea, marking the first report of the advanced anti-aircraft system being rolled out for a combat role on the peninsula.
Russian media reports suggested in fall 2021 that the first S-500 had been deployed around Moscow.
What People Are Saying
The Atesh movement said on Monday: "We continue to monitor the actions of the Russians on the peninsula and pass on all important information to the Defense Forces of Ukraine."
What Happens Next
The coming days will test Moscow and Kyiv's willingness to negotiate and compromise as the President Donald Trump's administration applies pressure to make substantive advances toward peace.
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