Ukraine launches 40-day pressure campaign, emergency declared in Crimea

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky approved on Thursday a 40-day operation by the security service SBU aimed at forcing Russia to end the war. Russian-occupied Crimean authorities responded on Friday by declaring a regional state of emergency.

Volodymyr Zelensky announced Thursday evening that he gave the green light to a large-scale 40-day operation by Ukraine's security service (SBU), the main objective of which is to apply sufficient pressure on Russia to force it to end the war.

The announcement of the campaign launch came as Russian-occupied Crimean authorities declared a regional state of emergency on Friday. This step indicates that Ukrainian pressure on the peninsula has increased significantly and Russian administrative structures deem it necessary to transition to emergency preparedness.

The 40-day timeframe is significant as it sets a clear deadline and gives the campaign a strategic character; it is not merely a single operation, but a sustained and coordinated pressure campaign. Operations led by the SBU typically include intelligence activities, sabotage, and other far-reaching measures on Russian territory and occupied areas.

The declaration of emergency in Crimea shows that the peninsula remains one of the primary targets of Ukrainian activity. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has repeatedly attacked military facilities located in Crimea, including bridges, airfields, and naval bases.