Russia hides information about attacks on Crimea to prevent panic – ISW

This was stated by the analysts of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Experts say that the recent situation in Russia's information space has exposed more flaws in the community of military bloggers.

A Russian pro-war blogger strongly criticized other well-known milbloggers who had spoken out against Russia's actions in the war on August 2. He called them "imbeciles" for supporting "provocative" posts and criticizing the Russian Ministry of Defense.

This harsh reaction was triggered by bloggers sharing images of the aftermath of recent attacks by the Armed Forces near Sevastopol and on the Chongar bridge in Crimea, which some sources suggested “would irresponsibly spread panic.”

Furthermore, a Kremlin-backed pro-Russian blogger accused a critical milblogger of stealing funds meant for the Russian forces.

These specific critiques drew significant attention from other pro-war Russian commentators, many of whom supported the critical channels being attacked for reporting on the Crimea strikes

One milblogger believes that the problem lies in publishing pictures of alleged Ukrainian strikes in occupied Crimea, and these images were taken from Ukrainian Telegram channels.

Another well-known Russian blogger mentioned that the controversy over the images of the strikes in Crimea has caught the attention of the Crimean FSB and the so-called head of the Crimean occupation administration, Sergey Aksyonov. This might be because these authorities want to prevent panic on the peninsula.

The report suggests that the issue of strikes on Crimea is “a distinctly neuralgic point in the pro-war Russian information space.”

Earlier, after the AFU's apparent strike on the Chongar bridge on July 29, most Russian bloggers stayed silent, and only a few channels reposted images of the damage in the following days.

Experts believe that the lack of discussion among milbloggers after the strikes on the Chongar bridge might indicate that the Kremlin instructed them to remain quiet about the Crimean strikes. This confirms ISW's previous assessment and highlights the tension in the Russian information space regarding events in Crimea.

"Russian authorities, including the Crimean occupation administration, have a vested interest in restricting the dissemination of information about the strikes and their implications for Russian logistics through the occupied peninsula due to concerns that this information will cause panic in the population and call into question Russia’s ability to effectively secure its occupied territory," the report concludes. 

Attacks in Crimea

On July 17, in the morning, there were explosions on the Crimean Bridge. The occupation authorities said it was an "emergency event" caused by the Ukrainian military. They found damage to the road and reported two deaths.

On July 18, the Russian Ministry of Defense accused Ukraine again of attacking Crimea with drones.

On the night of July 19, people in Russian-occupied Crimea heard explosions. A warehouse with ammunition exploded at the Old Crimea training ground.

On July 20, the occupiers blamed Ukraine for a drone attack on Crimea. They said four buildings were damaged, and a teenager was killed.

On July 22, drones attacked infrastructure facilities on the peninsula. An oil depot in Oktyabrske village caught fire, and an ammunition depot at the airfield exploded. Railway traffic was stopped.

On July 24, the occupying authorities of Crimea reported a drone attack on an ammunition warehouse in the Dzhankoy district, and nearby villages were evacuated.

On Friday, July 28, an ammunition depot of the occupiers exploded in occupied Sevastopol. The GUR reported the sabotage.

Ukrainian forces are also targeting Russian logistics routes to disrupt their plans and supplies between Crimea and the mainland. On the morning of July 29, the Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out an air attack on the Chongar Bridge.

On August 1, there were explosions in Crimea, possibly in the Balaklava area, where the Russian Navy base, a thermal power plant, and warehouses of ammunition and equipment are located.

The Ukrainian Navy's spokesman, Dmytro Pletenchuk, said that the Naval Forces of Ukraine were not involved in the attack on the Sergey Kotov and Vasily Bykov ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.