It's been about six months of the Russian war against Ukraine. The Kremlin is still calling its invasion of the neighboring country a "

But a series of Ukrainian attacks in Crimea, which Vladimir Putin annexed in 2014, shatters that narrative.. And as Ukrainian attacks intensify in territory of strategic and symbolic importance, there is internal political pressure on the Kremlin.. Criticism and controversy about the war is increasingly appearing on social networks. And it becomes obvious that even the territories that the Russian government considers Russian are actually not safe, writes the New York Times..

The publication reminds that on Saturday a drone rammed the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation in Crimea. Black smoke rose over Sevastopol. Also in the western part of Crimea, Russian troops opened fire from air defense systems at unidentified targets.. This was said by representatives of the occupying Russian authorities on the peninsula, who blamed Ukraine for the attacks and urged local residents not to panic.. They also insisted that no one was hurt.. And Russian air defense is working properly.

“But videos showing shots from air defense systems against the background of the blue Crimean sky scattered across social networks.. And the reality of the war is becoming increasingly clear to Russians, many of whom support the Kremlin's line and believe the state media's assertion that the "

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“People are beginning to feel that the war is reaching them.. I think this is serious,” said Andrey Kortunov, director of the Russian Council on Foreign Relations, an organization close to the Russian government..

He claims that the Kremlin sees the Ukrainian attacks in Crimea not as a military threat, but as a “cause of irritation”. At the same time, it is a demonstration of Ukraine's ability to threaten the lives of Russians far behind the front line.. But it remains to be seen how Putin will respond to the attacks, if at all.. Even Kremlin-loyal commentators call for retaliatory strikes. Russia maintains military superiority. And the latest strikes on military targets in Crimea did not bring territorial gains to Ukraine. But they were a psychological blow to Russia, destroying the old belief in Russian invulnerability on the peninsula..

Crimea is not only a key military base. The sunny resort that became the springboard for the Russian invasion of Ukraine plays the role of a special symbol for Putin. He called Crimea Russian " Russian tsars and members of the Soviet Politburo owned summer vacation homes on the peninsula. The Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation is also based in Crimea, which allows Moscow to control the sea, in particular, to block the ports of Ukraine, creating economic pressure..

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The New York Times writes that the military impact of Ukrainian strikes in Crimea was minimal.. But there were signs that they scared the locals. Therefore, they demand from the Crimean " A resident of Sevastopol said that she could not even imagine the events of the past six months: the war and explosions during shots from air defense systems that she heard personally. The woman said that until now she tried to avoid the news and continue to live her life.

“When you read the news, chaos arises in your head. There is a feeling that everything around you is exploding and burning, that you are in hell,” said 34-year-old Elena from Sevastopol.