Russian Military Experts Conduct Staff Exercise “Crimean Wake-Up Call” Simulating Ukrainian Amphibious Assault on Crimea

Russian military specialists have carried out a command post staff exercise named “Crimean Wake-Up Call” (“Крымская побудка”), focused on preparing for and repelling a potential Ukrainian amphibious landing operation in Russian-annexed Crimea.

According to Russian military expert and reserve Colonel Viktor Murakhovsky, who participated in the drill, the operational command-and-staff game simulated a Ukrainian (“blue” force) amphibious and naval assault originating from the Odesa region and the northwestern Black Sea toward Crimea. The exercise emphasized defensive measures by Russian (“red” force) troops operating from a defensive posture.

Murakhovsky, a former General Staff officer, editor-in-chief of the magazine Arsenal of the Fatherland, and member of the expert council of Russia’s Military-Industrial Commission, shared details of the exercise on his Telegram channel. He noted that headquarters staffs were composed of Russian Armed Forces officers in reserve and retirement.

“The exercise was dedicated to a Ukrainian landing in Crimea and our measures to repel it,” Murakhovsky wrote. He described the “blue” side as employing unconventional tactics and making extensive use of advanced detection and strike systems, including elements of modern warfare such as drones, reconnaissance assets, and precision guided long-range weapons.

Murakhovsky attached a topographic map of Crimea and the adjacent Black Sea waters (in the SK-42 coordinate system commonly used by Russian forces) showing multiple blue attack routes converging on the peninsula, along with red defensive positions around Sevastopol, northern and eastern Crimea, and the Kerch area.

He praised the organization of the exercise, stating that it proceeded smoothly and at a high professional level thanks to the coordinators.

Russian sources present the exercise as a proactive measure to enhance readiness against perceived Ukrainian threats to the annexed territory, which Russia has controlled since 2014 and which remains a focal point of the broader conflict.