Crimea concludes construction of 60 km fence on Ukraine border

The occupational government of Crimea concluded the
construction of a 60 km fence with built-in sensors along its border with
Ukraine, the Russian Federal Security Service reported on Dec. 27, as reported
by the tass.ru news agency. “The use of these complexes on the Crimea border is
necessary owing to threats such as attempts by sabotage-intelligence units of
the neighboring state to cross into Crimean territory, as well as attempts to
organize illegal transit of armaments, ammunition, tobacco and alcohol
products, narcotics, psychotropic items,” the statement said. The fence, which includes
hundreds of sensors and cameras, is guaranteed for 10 years, it said.

Zenon Zawada: Given that
Russia is planning to bring Ukraine back into its geopolitical orbit or carve
up the country, this fence seems like a precautionary measure in case events
don’t turn out as hoped, or not quick enough. Former Putin adviser Andrei
Illarionov has even warned that the water in Crimean reservoirs will be
exhausted by the summer of 2019, prompting a possible Russian military attempt
to take control of the Northern Crimean Canal (between Crimea and Ukraine’s
Kherson region), which traditionally provided Crimea with water. This fence
will help shield Crimeans from the consequences of such a military operation.