Media Citation
Russia is losing its grip on Crimea | The Economist
Source: The Economist | 16 July 2026
Data from ACLED, a conflict monitor, and The Economist’s war tracker show a sharp rise in Ukrainian attacks across Crimea. Of the 692 since 2022, more than half have been in the past 12 months and a fifth since June.
The Kerch bridge that connects Crimea to Russia is an obvious target, making it too dangerous to cross with hazardous materials such as fuel. Heavy lorries are banned altogether. Connections by sea have been severed, too. Russia’s Black Sea fleet, normally based in Sevastopol, has been forced to relocate to more distant ports.
On July 13th Russia suspended shipping through the Sea of Azov, a vital waterway that handles a quarter of its grain exports. The next day Ukraine said it had struck 11 ships overnight. Land passages through occupied Ukraine are also under attack. [...]
