---
Amidst continued Russian attempts to strengthen their defenses across Crimea, the flame of resistance against Russian occupation refuses to be extinguished. Ukrainian partisans make careful
preparations to regain control of government buildings and military installations once Ukrainian forces reach Crimea's administrative borders.
-----
One of the primary partisan groups is ATESH, which translates to “fire” in Crimean Tatar. Based on its Telegram channel, the organization’s primary mission is to dismantle the Russian army. Crimean Tatars
account for 13% of the Crimean Peninsula’s population, but 85% of political arrests and illegal searches were targeted against them by the Russian authorities. The frequency of
confrontations between the pro-Ukrainian population and the occupational forces is on the rise.
----
Despite such publicity, secrecy ultimately determines the
effectiveness of partisan actions, creating a sense of paranoia among Russian occupiers.
The group claimed that over 4,000 Russian soldiers have already enrolled in an online course on how to “survive the war” by destroying their own equipment.
--
This also causes Russia to tie up resources in Crimea rather than deploying them to the front line. Crimean partisans even claimed they made an
arrangement with a police chief, who offered them access to his arsenal when necessary, with the promise of putting in a good word on his behalf when the Ukrainian authorities return.
--
As the Ukrainian counteroffensive gradually progresses toward Crimea, the resistance movement within the occupied peninsula will only amplify. The involvement of Crimea's partisans in the resistance movement will play a crucial role in facilitating Ukraine's victorious liberation of the peninsula.
Today Crimea remains a territory of fear, but soon, like the rest of Ukraine, Crimea will be a territory of freedom once again.