'Panic' in Crimea Will Grow, Zelensky Adviser Says

Kyiv's constant attacks on Moscow's military targets in Crimea are undermining morale on the occupied peninsula and sowing panic in Russia, the Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said.

His comments follow a string of headline-grabbing strikes on Crimea that Ukraine has either claimed responsibility for, or been accused by Russia of conducting, sparking anger and concern among Kremlin media outlets.

Ukraine said that a missile attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters on September 22 killed dozens of officers, including Admiral Viktor Sokolov, although his appearance on Russian television since then has cast doubt on this.

In the aftermath of the latest strike at the heart of Russia's navy, Podolyak told Ukrainian television that such attacks were impacting those living in Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014 and whose recapture is a stated war aim for Kyiv.

"The Russian Federation is in a lifelong state of panic that's why they threaten everyone," he said, according to Ukrainian news outlet Pravda."To compensate for their panic, they always say that we are going to go somewhere, do something, and so on."

He said that Russians living in Crimea are now living under the expectation of sirens signaling imminent attacks, which has created the feeling that their airspace is no longer controlled by Moscow.

On August 23, Ukrainian missiles struck an S-400 missile system in Olenivka, while on September 13, a Ukrainian attack, reportedly by British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles, damaged two Russian warships at the Sevastopol Naval Base.

Podolyak suggested that strikes in Crimea aim to strangle Russia's ability to transport weapons and equipment by train. He noted a lack of rail connections from occupied cities such as Melitopol and Berdyansk to Russia's Rostov region.

"Crimea today is the key to significantly reducing the fighting capacity of the Russian occupation groups," he said, adding that the Kerch Strait would also be another focus of Ukrainian attacks.

Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment.

Last week, the U.S. announced a $325 million military support package for Ukraine and President Joe Biden decided to supply Kyiv with long-range army tactical missile systems (ATACMS).

ATACMS have a range of up to 190 miles, which is more than rockets from the U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and M270 multiple-launch rocket systems. Its proponents say this capability is essential to hit targets in Crimea.

Retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges told Newsweek last week that the systems wouldnmake a difference "in support of Ukraine's efforts to make Crimea untenable for Russian forces."