Crimea missile strikes send message to Moscow

I think the Ukrainian strikes today on an air base in Crimea are massively significant when combined with the closing of the Druzba pipeline thru Ukraine to Hungary. Crimea has long been a Red Army bastion - almost as unsinkable as the Mosckva!

Moscow has been put on the back foot in this war in recent weeks as HIMARS wreak absolute havoc on Russian supply lines.

I think Russian threats to the Zaporizhiya nuclear plant were a warning from Moscow that it has few moral limits.

I think with this attack on Crimea, Druzba etc, the Ukrainian side has sent a strong signal to Moscow that it is willing to hit back hard at Russia and where it hurts. 

Seems debate about whether Ukraine has used longer range ATACMS missiles, see

Michael Weiss 🌻🇺🇸🇮🇪 @michaeldweiss

Spoke to artillery/weapons specialist @noclador about Ukraine's long-range strikes on occupied Crimea. His verdict: "90% it's ATACMS, 10% it's cruise missiles."

Or talk also whether they used a longer range Ukrainian developed GRIM2,

Bogdan Voron @Bogdan_Voron

The New York Times quotes a Ukrainian source who says that "a device exclusively of Ukrainian manufacture" was behind the #Saky airbase attack. The only weapon that can reach Saky is Grim-2 - a mobile short-range ballistic missile system, reportedly in the development stage.

But the message is we can hit Russia really where it hurts, and this war is coming home to Russians - note long lines of Russian holiday makers now fleeing Crimea.

Notable that Russian air defences again failed. Remember this is a high end Russian target - as per the Mosckva - so the fact multiple Ukrainian missiles hit suggests an abject failure of Russian air defences. I think this reflects Ukraine’s use if HIMARS to systematically erode Russian air defences and also their innovation in adapting what they have to local circumstances. 

But the message from Ukraine to Moscow is “sure, we are ready to talk peace, but on our terms”. 

Let’s see if the West has the balls to follow advice from the Finns and Estonians and impose visa bans on Russians. That would send a clear message to Russians that unless something changes - they act - they will be stuck in the fascist Putin regime.