Since Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in March 2014, senior Russian political-military leaders have, on numerous occasions, referred to military reinforcement and consolidation when speaking about integrating the peninsula into the Russian Federation. This has resulted, consequently, in often contradictory statements from the defense ministry concerning the number of “new” units being created in Crimea, while the underlying priorities appear to be focused on strengthening the Black Sea Fleet, coastal defense and air defense capabilities. Yet, there have also been indications that assets have been moved into Crimea consistent with strategic messaging to demonstrate intent to deploy nuclear weapons if …read more
Source: The Jamestown Foundation