War came to Crimea and Ukraine ended the summer with the start of the counteroffensive

There are no more quiet places in Ukraine, and now it applies to the entire internationally recognized territory of the country. The main plot of the six months is the blowing up of Crimea.

The peninsula was brazenly annexed by Vladimir Putin in 2014. He sent his troops there and organized a fake referendum, “legitimizing” the annexation. For Putin, Crimea has become a trophy and his main achievement. It brought him unprecedented recognition and prevented the Ukrainian Maidan revolution from becoming a success story.

"Crimea has returned to its home port," the phrase heard repeatedly since 2014 by all supporters of the so-called "Russian Spring" and personally by Putin.

The president of Russia could not allow the people of his neighboring country to overthrow the corrupt government and build a prosperous state. That is why immediately after the Maidan, Russia annexed Crimea and attacked the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In Putin’s mind, a street protest and the removal of a corrupt government must necessarily lead to chaos and civil war. This is exactly what he organized in Ukraine. When everyone had forgotten these events in 2014, he attacked the rest of Ukraine in February. He hoped to take it in three days, but something went wrong.

Russian propaganda constantly escalated the situation. They claimed that if Ukraine suddenly attacked Crimea, then “the day of judgment, very quick and painful, will come,” as former President Dmitry Medvedev threatened. But when Ukraine struck the air base in Saki in early August, Medvedev deleted his post.

At first, the six explosions in Saki shocked everyone. Russian tourists quickly packed their things and ran from the peninsula, saying: “I don’t want to leave Crimea. I’m used to it here.” This phrase has become a real meme in Ukraine. However, the attack on Saki, which destroyed about a dozen aircraft, was not the only one.

Explosions at ammunition and oil depots and the collapse of bridges in Russian regions bordering Ukraine were presented by propaganda as accidents. The Russian Defense Ministry even claimed that the Moskva warship sank in April due to an unexplained fire on board, possibly caused by smoking in the wrong place. They still prefer not to talk about it. They admitted only one person was dead and 400 others are declared missing.

Russia cannot admit that it is unable to defend the peninsula. That is why there have been no special statements from their officials. If you don't talk about it, the explosions didn't happen.

How to explain to the local residents that the air defense does not work? And even worse: how to admit that Ukraine really attacks? And the third version is even more unacceptable. Russia was never able to destroy the partisan movement in Crimea, although it populated it with Russians over these eight years.

Well, they didn't want to believe that the Ukrainians couldn't attack. It turned out that they could. A large ammunition depot near Dzhankoi was destroyed. The explosions were so powerful that they had to close the railway for reconstruction. Then something crashed over the airport at Gvardeisky, probably a drone, and then an air raid alert was sounded in Kerch, Sevastopol and Evpatoria.

A drone even targeted the Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol. The Russians had to finally admit it.

The explosions in Crimea affected Putin psychologically. He always perceived the peninsula as a sacred place. But where is the day of judgment?

As we can see, Putin is only capable of threats. He can no longer escalate the situation. His army is exhausted.

Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group were also unlucky. On August 14, the Ukrainian military used HIMARS multiple rocket systems to strike the Wagner Group headquarters in the occupied Popasnan in the Luhansk region, occupied as a result of the invasion, apparently killing over 100 mercenaries.

The Wagner Group is considered the most motivated and fierce fighters, as their income depends on their achievements on the battlefield. They also participated in ground operations in Syria. By the way, mercenarism in Russia is prohibited by law, but the Wagner Group still exists because this “army” is led by Putin’s chef and friend, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The Russian military offensive has finally stopped, although it previously seemed quite dead. Throughout the month, the sides reported brief and minor clashes. The tactic of destroying Russian warehouses worked. After all, that is exactly what the Ukrainian military has been doing for the past two months.

Russia has no choice but to use nuclear blackmail – not with a real nuclear weapon this time, but with the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

The ZNPP appeared to be in the spotlight globally in early August when Russian forces first opened fire on the plant. Russia has rejected calls to demilitarize the nuclear plant, claiming it is “protecting it” from Ukrainian provocations.

The United Nations agreed to facilitate the visit of IAEA inspectors to the ZNPP from Kiev, but Russia did not see to it that the mission traveled through Ukraine.

On August 25, the ZNPP was completely disconnected from the power grid for the first time in history, leaving almost the entire southern region of Ukraine without electricity. Later, the company Maxar Technologies released satellite images showing four large holes in the roof of the ZNPP.

However, the IAEA mission led by Director General Rafael Grossi arrived in Kiev on August 30. The mission of 14 specialists immediately left for Enerhodar, where the ZNPP is located, and arrived there on September 1.

The situation at Enerhodar is very alarming, as an explosion could lead to a terrible nuclear disaster. That is why the UK and the US had to warn Russia.

Tobias Ellwood, from the British House of Commons, said: “Any deliberate damage causing a possible radiation leak at a Ukrainian nuclear reactor would be a breach of NATO Article 5.”

American Congressman Adam Kinzinger supported his British colleague, citing Article 5.

On August 24, Ukraine celebrated the 31st anniversary of its independence and six months of war. Authorities warned of massive bombings across the country on the day, as Russia loves commemorative dates and symbolism.

The invaders kept the whole country in suspense. The number of air raid sirens was close to two hundred. According to the Ukrainian military, the enemy made about 200 flights. However, only eight confirmed missiles were launched. This means that Russia is running out and saving its missiles.

However, the country’s most important holiday ended with one of the greatest tragedies of this war. Russia again targeted civilians, bombing the railway at Chaplyne in central Ukraine. They killed 25 people, including children. Russia, as usual, claimed they were hitting a military target. An Associated Press reporter visited the scene and found no evidence of soldiers on the train that Russian troops had attacked.

The summer in Ukraine ended on a positive note. Kiev has launched a long-awaited counteroffensive in an attempt to retake the south of the country. On the morning of August 29, several brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces intensified shelling and broke through the first line of Russian defense.

Throughout August, the Ukrainian military bombed the Antonovsky and Darievsky bridges and eventually put them out of service, cutting off the occupiers' supply lines to Kherson. According to local residents, the Russian army packed up and began to withdraw from Kherson. CNN reported that Ukraine had returned four villages to its control.

Unfortunately, Ukraine does not yet have enough weapons to launch a full-scale liberation campaign. It all depends on how quickly the partners will deliver the promised armaments. However, Ukraine has marked the beginning of a new chapter in this war.

Daria Meshcheryakova,

Contributor to TheGeopost