https://sputnikglobe.com/20240408/why-crimea-remains-key-strategic-black-sea-base-for-russia-after-80-years-1117809370.html
Why Crimea Remains Key Strategic Black Sea Base for Russia After 80 Years
Why Crimea Remains Key Strategic Black Sea Base for Russia After 80 Years
Sputnik International
80 years ago, Crimea was the Soviet Union's important naval base, something which is still in place now that Russia continues its special military operation, Alexander Hill, a professor of military history at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, told Sputnik.
2024-04-08T13:59+0000
2024-04-08T13:59+0000
2024-04-09T04:19+0000
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On Monday, Russia marks the 80th anniversary of the start of the Red Army's Crimean offensive against Nazi invaders during World War II.The operation to liberate the Crimea lasted from April 8, 1944 to May 12 of that year and ended with the total defeat of the 200,000-strong 17th German Army.The operation "had psychological benefits, not just for Soviet soldiers, but also in terms of sapping Romanian morale, because a lot of the defenders of the Crimea [fighting on the Nazis’ side] were Romanian forces," Hill said.The offensive also provided "the potential for bombing the Romanian oil fields, from the Crimea, something that the Germans were very concerned about," according to the professor.Hill also noted some "similarities" between the goals of the Crimean Offensive and the goals of Russia's ongoing special military operation.“Obviously, the special operation is in part about protecting Crimea, which is important today for Russia, as it was for the Soviet Union during the [1941-1945] Great Patriotic War. It's obviously a key naval base. It's a major warm water port,” Hill noted.There are also "similarities in the way the wars were being fought," he said. Despite the use of drones and high-precision weapons in the Ukraine conflict, "it's still a war of tanks, artillery and infantry," which were widely used during the Crimean Offensive, Hill said.
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Why Crimea Remains Key Strategic Black Sea Base for Russia After 80 Years
13:59 GMT 08.04.2024 (Updated: 04:19 GMT 09.04.2024) 80 years ago, Crimea was the Soviet Union's main naval base, which is still the case today as Russia continues its special military operation, Alexander Hill, a professor of military history at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, told Sputnik.
On Monday, Russia marks the 80th anniversary of the start of the Red Army's Crimean offensive against Nazi invaders during
World War II.
The operation to liberate the Crimea lasted from April 8, 1944 to May 12 of that year and ended with the total defeat of the 200,000-strong 17th German Army.
The Crimean Offensive "had strategic value and was a considerable success for the Red Army," Alexander Hill, a professor of military history at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, told Sputnik in an interview.
The operation "had psychological benefits, not just for Soviet soldiers, but also in terms of sapping Romanian morale, because a lot of the defenders of the Crimea [fighting on the Nazis’ side] were Romanian forces," Hill said.
The offensive also provided "the potential for bombing the Romanian oil fields, from the Crimea, something that the Germans were very concerned about," according to the professor.
He touted the Crimean Offensive as "a very successful operation because the Red Army succeeded in a matter of weeks in doing what it took the Germans on the axis a number of months to do in 1941 and 1942, that is, the Red Army broke through into the Crimea relatively quickly, helped by the fact that there had been an amphibious landing at the end of 1943."
Hill also noted some "similarities" between the goals of the Crimean Offensive and the goals of Russia's ongoing special military operation.
“Obviously, the special operation is in part about protecting Crimea, which is important today for Russia, as it was for the Soviet Union during the [1941-1945] Great Patriotic War. It's obviously a key naval base. It's a major warm water port,” Hill noted.
23 October 2023, 12:53 GMT
He described Crimea as "a good base point for patrolling the Black Sea," recalling that during the Second World War, Crimea "also provided a threat to the Soviet advance westwards from the south." Nowadays, Crimea’s position in the special military operation similarly allows Russian forces to attack, from the south, into Ukraine," the professor pointed out.
There are also "similarities in the way the wars were being fought," he said. Despite the use of drones and high-precision weapons in the Ukraine conflict, "it's still a war of tanks, artillery and infantry," which were widely used during the Crimean Offensive, Hill said.
"It allows for the domination of the Black Sea region," the professor of military history concluded.
