Following a string of attacks have been launched against Putin’s military bases over the past several days, Ukrainians resistance groups are using psychological warfare to “scare” Russian soldiers.

Last week, several explosions seriously damaged a crucial aircraft base in Crimea, and yesterday an ammunition depot exploded on the northern side of the peninsula. Ukraine hasn’t formally acknowledged or refused that they were responsible for the explosions.

Nevertheless, Ukraine now has heavy weaponry that can support such missile strikes thanks to supplies from NATO allies, including the UK.

Ukrainians have recently distributed large leaflets around strategic locations announcing the next target for a strike as a psychological operation (PsyOp) tactic. PsyOp (psychological operations) is a military tactic that has been used on numerous occasions and in a variety of ways in the past to lower the opponent’s morale.

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Over the past few days, images of the large, commanding leaflets that were hung on walls and columns in the streets went around the internet. The flyers feature a graphic of an eruption on a background that is entirely black, with the name and coordinates of a potential next target written above the graphic.

Sevastopol, Kacha Air Base, Airfield Guards, International Airport Sevastopol (Belbek), and Airbase Oktyabrskoe are the targets listed on leaflets seen in the streets.

Ukraine Struggles Against Russian ’Meat Grinder’ Tactics
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The Ukrainian officer, who uses the callsign "Goth", was speaking to AFP in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russia made in November its largest gains in a month since March 2022.

A Ukrainian journalist named Viktor Kovalenko tweeted about the flyers, declaring: “After the strike on #Saki, the #Ukrainian partisans launched a PsyOp to scare occupiers in the #Crimea.”

“They disseminate leaflets with exact coordinates of next targets.

“On this one, you see the coordinates of the Oktiabrske airfield (abandoned, but used again from Feb 2022).”

The post featured two images of the Oktyabrskoe airbase as well as a picture of one of the leaflets.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Head of the Office of President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, tweeted the following after today’s airstrikes: “A reminder: Crimea of normal country is about the Black Sea, mountains, recreation and tourism, but Crimea occupied by Russians is about warehouses explosions and high risk of death for invaders and thieves.”

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On Tuesday, Britain claimed that Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is currently having trouble maintaining effective maritime law and order, with patrols typically restricted to the waters visible from the Crimean coast.

According to the British Defence Ministry’s daily intelligence bulletin posted on Twitter, the Black Sea Fleet is still using long-range cruise missiles to support ground offensives while maintaining a defensive stance.

In the meantime, recent shelling in the area of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, Zaporizhzhia, in southern Ukraine, showcased an impending catastrophe.

The risks involved with the region turning into a battleground prompted Kyiv to call on Western leaders to impose new sanctions on Russia. Russian-installed officials and Ukrainian officials have traded accusations regarding who is to blame for the attacks.

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In order to avoid becoming a “special target,” President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has warned Russian soldiers not to attack the Enerhodar site or use it as a shooting vantage point.

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