Crimea was Russia’s stronghold. Now it’s a vulnerability. – POLITICO

Oleksandra warned her parents in Crimea to stock up on emergency supplies weeks ago. But her mother didn’t take the warning seriously.

Crimea was supposed to be Russian President Vladimir Putin’s crowning achievement — a stronghold in the war against Ukraine, a launchpad to project Russia’s military power across the Black Sea and a domestic symbol of his imperial ambitions. All of that is now under threat, with Ukraine gaining air control over routes into the Russian-occupied peninsula, targeting supply logistics, and looking to isolate and weaken Russia’s forces in the south.

“My mother was convinced neither Russia nor Ukraine would ever do anything to threaten Crimea,” recalled Oleksandra, who did not give her last name for fear of endangering her relatives. Even as missiles launched from Crimea were striking Kyiv, “She said: ‘But Crimea is special.’”