“Leave Crimea now!” warns Ukrainian official, as situation grows increasingly perilous

Deputy PM Iryna Vereshchuk asked Ukrainians to consider waiting out Crimea's de-occupation from outside the region.

"I ask Ukrainians again, if possible, leave Crimea. Wait out the peninsula's de-occupation in areas we control or third countries," Vereshchuk wrote on Telegram messanger.

Since the summer of 2023, Ukrainian missile strikes have become routine for the peninsula. The most recent one occurred on 22 September, when Ukraine launched a missile strike on the Russian Black Sea Fleet HQ in occupied Sevastopol. In the operation codenamed Crab Trap, the Ukrainian Air Force struck the building during a meeting of the Russian Navy’s leadership.

In his commentary to the Ukrainian Service of the Voice of America, Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) chief, said the attack killed at least nine and wounded 16 troops, with Russian generals among them.

Read more:

• Operation Crab Trap: Ukrainian military gives some details on Sevastopol Russian Navy HQ attack
• Ukrainian attack damages Russian military base in Crimea, satellite images confirm
• Ukraine's special ops landed in Crimea to guide missile strike on Russian warships