From undermining infrastructure and destroying weapons depots to spreading reports of Russian military incursions, guerrilla activity is on the rise in Ukraine, especially in the occupied southern parts, Al Jazeera reports.

The Free Ukraine Resistance Movement, a citizen-led group, writes on its website: “We have literally destroyed Putin’s plans to destroy Ukraine from within… Even months before a full-scale invasion, [începusem] is already mobilizing and training people for all levels of resistance to protect Ukraine – military, communications, humanitarian aid and diplomacy.”

Active mainly in the southern regions of the occupied Zaporizhzhia region and around the city of Kherson, where Ukraine is conducting a counteroffensive, the partisans became more coordinated with the beginning of the war.

Guerrillas, a missing element in Crimea

“In my view, the more spectacular, sophisticated and spectacular attacks in Crimea are most likely a combination of special forces operations and local assistance. They are strategically disrupting Russian supply lines, undermining morale and weakening Russia’s military capabilities in southern Ukraine and the Black Sea region. Sea,” said Stefan Wolff, a professor of international security at the University of Birmingham.

Disaster due to explosions at the airbase in Crimea (video)

Wolf noted the difference between local efforts – guerrillas – and attacks organized mainly by Ukrainian special forces.

“Attacks on the mainland of Ukraine, for example in the Kherson region, are largely local efforts, and so far they are mainly directed against the Russian occupation authorities and local collaborators in order to weaken Russia’s control over these territories and send a signal of defiance and hope to the population. suffering there under the Russian occupation.”

There appears to be a high level of cooperation between the Ukrainian military and the guerrillas, who have been providing the troops with information about Russian forces and the situation in the occupied territories.

Anna Shelest

“Nobody trained the partisans, they had no resources and no past experience. This is something that did not happen in Crimea in 2014. Now we see this resistance, both violent and nonviolent. There are people who want to show that Kherson is Ukrainian, that Melitopol is Ukrainian, or other regions where we saw partisans. Obviously, it’s nice to see now.” Hanna Shelest informed HotNews.ro about thisdirector of security programs of the Foreign Policy Council organization “Ukrainian Prism”.

• Read also: Military, officials, experts and refugees from Ukraine answer the question of HotNews.ro: What surprised you the most during the 6 months of the war? “Guerrillas: we didn’t have them in Crimea in 2014, but it’s nice – you see. them now”

Three main tasks

“The most visible guerrilla activity includes killings of local collaborators and pro-Russian activists, as well as attacks on various ‘night patrols’ involving Russian troops,” Oleksandr Lanoshka, associate professor of international relations at the University of Waterloo.

“Other actions include minor acts of resistance, such as hanging the Ukrainian flag, spreading anti-Russian leaflets and pamphlets, creating a general atmosphere of discomfort for the occupying forces. There were reports of partisans blowing up trains near Melitopol,” he said. says

These rebels have three main tasks:

• destruction of Russian military weapons and supply lines,
• transfer of information to the Ukrainian military
• demoralization of the occupying forces.

“Guerrillas don’t usually win wars, but they have the ability to damage logistics and infrastructure in the rear. In coordination with the actions of the regular armed forces, guerrillas can have both tactical and strategic importance. Oleksandr Motil, a political science professor at Rutgers University in Newark, told Al Jazeera.

“Their main strength is that they are local residents who enjoy the support of the local population. They are difficult to destroy. As a result, the occupying forces usually attack the local population in order to weaken their support for the guerrillas,” says Motil.

The city of Kherson under Russian occupation Photo: Personal archive

“The Ukrainian guerrilla movement appears to be gaining momentum in southern Ukraine, with the greatest activity concentrated in the cities of Kherson, which the Ukrainian armed forces are about to liberate, and the cities of Melitopol and Berdyansk in Zaporozhye.”

Motyl added that from July 6 to August 2, 33 acts of resistance were recorded.

“Of these, 17 related to non-violent protest, and 16 – violence against people or property. The largest number of such incidents occurred in Kherson, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces are preparing a counteroffensive. Nine incidents occurred in Donbas, four each in Zaporizhia Oblast and Crimea, one in Kharkiv region,” Motyl said.

These figures emphasize the role of unarmed resistance. Civilians tear down Russian flags or track the movements of Moscow troops and transmit the coordinates to Kyiv. At a minimum, any Ukrainian can become an informant.

But it remains difficult to measure the results of these party members.

Both sides have reason to exaggerate the guerrillas’ actions, so unverified data should be read with caution, Al Jazeera reports.

• Read also: EXCLUSIVE How to live in the Ukrainian city of Kherson occupied by the Russians. Testimony of a local resident: “There are partisans who paint the Ukrainian flag on walls and asphalt or leave messages to the occupiers. They are young women”

Who are the collaborators of the Russians who were killed by Ukrainian partisans?

Guerrillas and possibly Ukrainian special forces have killed or attempted to kill at least 19 pro-Russian politicians and collaborators in territories occupied by the Russian military, some of them former Ukrainian officials who defected to the Russian side.

The list by region was compiled by members of WarTranslated, who note that it is probably incomplete:

March 2 – Luhansk: Volodymyr Struk, ex-deputy head of the Luhansk Regional Council, head of Kreminnaya – found dead;

March 20 – Kherson: assistant to the former mayor of the city, head of the administration, installed by the Russians in the Volodymyr Saldo district, Pavlo Slobodchikov – shot dead in a car near his house;

April 20 – Kherson: Valery Kuleshov, the assistant to the deputy head of the pro-Russian administration in Kherson, Kirill Stresmousov, who fled to Russia after the start of the counteroffensive of Ukrainian troops, was shot in the car in the region;

May 22 – Zaporizhzhia: Mayor of Energodar Andriy Shevchych – hospitalized after an explosion in the entrance of his house;

June 18 – Kherson: Yevhen Sobolev, appointed by the pro-Russian administration as head of the regional department of the penitentiary service, was hospitalized after an attempt on him;

The car of the Russian commandant of the city of Berdyansk has been demilitarized. Photo: Video

June 22 – Kherson: Yurii Turulev, head of the pro-Russian administration of the village of Chornobayivka – his car was blown up, but he escaped with minor injuries;

June 24 – Kherson: Dmytro Savlutsenko, head of the family, youth and sports department of the State Administration of the Russian Federation – died in a car explosion;

July 10 – Kharkiv: Yevhen Yunakov, village head of Velikiy Burluk – died as a result of a car explosion near the local administration building;

July 11 – Zaporizhzhia: the head of the Melitopol District State Administration, Andriy Siguta – was not injured in the attempt;

July 7 – Kherson: Serhiy Tomko, deputy police chief of the occupied city of Nova Kakhova – shot dead in his car;

On August 26, Oleksandr Kolesnikov, deputy chief of the Berdyansk traffic police, was killed in an explosion near his residence. He died from his injuries.

September 7 – the Russian commandant of the city of Berdyansk was hospitalized in serious condition after his car was blown up near the local administration building, Interfax reports.

Source: Al Jazeera, WarTranslated, HotNews.ro