Russia to Deploy Crimean Residents to Front Lines Starting in April: Key Details.

Crimea and the Southern Front: Current Situation

According to Novyny.live: Starting in April 2023, Russia is preparing to send residents from occupied Crimea to the front lines. This comes amid a tightening draft campaign, with hundreds of Crimean residents already confirmed dead while serving in the Russian military. The occupying forces intend to deploy these individuals in motorized rifle units, signaling an escalation in regional mobilization efforts.

The Russian Black Sea Fleet has largely ceased combat operations, compounding difficulties for Moscow's troops on the southern front. Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones continue to strike Russian positions in Crimea, specifically targeting radar stations. These attacks are part of a broader, systematic campaign to degrade enemy defenses, particularly by reducing the number of assets protected by those radar systems.

As expert Dmytro Pletenchuk noted, 'it is no secret that as the number of radar surveillance assets—the radars themselves—decreases, the number of targets they were covering also begins to drop.'

Ongoing Combat Operations in Ukraine

Active fighting persists in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, highlighting the conflict's continuation and the intensification of hostilities in the country's east. This points to the increasingly difficult position of Russian forces in Crimea and along the front, as well as the likely increased use of the local population in combat roles.

The situation in Crimea and on the southern front remains tense, driven in part by Russia's fresh mobilization measures. The involvement of local residents in active combat underscores the Russian military's shortage of personnel and heightens risks for civilians. At the same time, Ukrainian operations aimed at weakening Russian defenses could become a pivotal factor in the conflict's trajectory.