A complete transport blockade of the occupied Crimea peninsula can be achieved in about two weeks, is the conviction of Heorhiy Tuka, founder and head of the Narodny Tyl volunteer group and charity fund, former head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration (2015-16), and former Deputy Minister for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine (2016-19).
"Today, circumstances have unfolded, thanks to the actions of the Armed Forces of our Motherland, such that the weakest link (for Russia – IF-U) is undoubtedly the Ukrainian Crimea peninsula. Over the past week and a half, the captured territories are weakening rapidly – to a greater extent Donetsk region rather than Luhansk region – and this is also reflected in the supply status of the invaders located in Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia regions. We are talking about a rapid process of destroying the routes of logistics, primarily rear supply of troops," Tuka said during a discussion on the topic "Strikes of the Defense Forces of Ukraine on targets on the territory of the Russian Federation and temporarily occupied territories of our state" at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Thursday.
He noted that out of desperation, Russia will look for ways to escape the isolation in which they find themselves.
"They have resorted primarily to camouflaging trucks – there is already video and photo evidence of military vehicles trying to disguise themselves as civilian trucks. It is absolutely logical that in response, understanding this, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will start attacking any cargo vehicles moving along this highway. This is completely logical, and it is already happening now," the former head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration said.
The next step Russia will resort to, according to Tuka, will be camouflaging military transport as buses. "I am absolutely convinced that our guys are ready for such steps as well, and we as a society must be ready for accusations pouring down on us from all heavens about how 'Banderites' and 'fascists' are attacking the poor civilian population. This should not concern us at all, because this is a war of annihilation, and we are fighting, ultimately, for our existence," he said.
The final step, according to the former official, will be attempts to use passenger cars for cargo transportation.
"That is, in principle, the ultimate point of the defense forces' actions should be the complete cessation and blocking of any movement of any motor transport along this highway. I am convinced that we are capable of this. And I think that within about two weeks everything will reach a logical conclusion," Tuka said.
In Donetsk region, according to him, thanks to the successful actions of the USF, the blocking of motor transport movement, as well as railway traffic in the occupied territories, is also taking place. "When such actions occur there, blocking the movement of military transport primarily and railway connections, this, in turn, has a positive knock-on effect on destroying the supplies of those units of Russian forces currently located in both Zaporizhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions," he said.
"In conclusion, we see that it all comes down to the Armed Forces trying to turn the Crimea peninsula into an island," Tuka summarized.
