A commission from Moscow has arrived in occupied Sevastopol to inspect Russia’s air defense units after what the partisan movement Atesh described as systematic losses in occupied Crimea.
Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 and has since turned the peninsula into one of its key military hubs for operations against Ukraine, using it to launch missiles, deploy aircraft, base naval forces, and maintain layered air defense systems intended to shield both occupied southern territories and the Black Sea.
According to Atesh, Russian authorities are considering replacing the command staff of the 31st Air Defense Division, which is part of the 4th Air and Air Defense Army of Russia’s Southern Military District. The unit is responsible for protecting airspace over the peninsula, including the areas around Sevastopol and Dzhankoi, using S-400 Triumf systems.
Atesh said the inspection follows what it called “accumulated losses” in Russian air defense units deployed in Crimea. The movement claimed those losses have significantly weakened protection not only over Crimea but also in parts of the occupied Kherson region.
The partisan group suggested Moscow now effectively acknowledges the scale of the problem, linking recent setbacks partly to intelligence passed by local residents on Russian troop positions and military equipment.
The statement comes as Russian air defense infrastructure in occupied Crimea has repeatedly come under pressure in recent months, with strategic military sites on the peninsula remaining a frequent target in the broader war.
On Monday, Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO) carried out a series of precision strikes targeting Russian radar systems in occupied Crimea and a command post in the Donetsk region.
Ukrainian strike units destroyed several radar installations, including the 5N84A Oborona-14 long-range radar and a Nebo-U radar system in occupied Yevpatoria.
During the attack on Yevpatoria, Ukrainian forces also hit radar systems located inside protective radio-transparent domes designed to conceal the orientation of the antennas while allowing them to rotate freely.