The article from Business Insider discusses the significant challenges Ukraine faces in planning an operation to seize Crimea.
The operation will require enormous human and technical resources from Ukraine. It is estimated that Ukraine will need three to five times the number of well-equipped forces compared to the defenders in Crimea.
This operation is expected to be significantly larger than the 2023 counteroffensive.
Air Support Limitations: Military analyst Benjamin Friedman noted that Ukraine lacks effective air support capabilities, even with the addition of F-16 fighters, due to the strength of Russian air defense.
Basil Germond said Ukraine “would first need to prepare the terrain by destroying or seriously degrading all of Russia’s air, air defense, missile defense, communication, and electronic warfare equipment and capabilities in Crimea and perhaps the Kerch Bridge.”
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F-16 Fighter Jets – Recently, a “small” batch of American F-16 fighters, transferred by NATO countries, arrived in Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has warned that the involvement of the United States and NATO in arming Ukraine creates the risk of a direct armed clash with Moscow. The presence of F-16 fighters in Ukraine, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, is seen by Russia as a significant threat from the West in the nuclear sphere.
The situation underscores the complexity and potential dangers of a new Ukrainian offensive to retake Crimea, highlighting the substantial military and geopolitical challenges involved.
