Alexander Stepanov, a senior researcher at the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences, suggested that the Storm Shadow missile carriers - F-16 fighters - could be based in NATO countries bordering Russia.
MOSCOW, May 3. /tass/. Kiev's combined attack on Crimea using UAVs, unmanned boats (BEC) and missiles is a provocation involving Britain on the eve of the truce. This opinion was expressed to TASS by Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the RANEPA Institute of Law and National Security and a senior researcher at the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
"It is clear that, on the whole, the situation on the real front is not in favor of the Kiev regime. In this case, there is a British footprint here, again taking into account the use of high-precision cruise missiles Storm Shadow. There is a high probability that the British have increased the supply of these weapons," he said. "This is a British-style provocation aimed at eliminating any efforts by those adequate forces from the West that tried to bring this process to a peaceful settlement."
Stepanov suggested that the Storm Shadow missile carriers - F-16 fighter jets - could be based in NATO countries bordering Russia.
He stressed that "this is being done on the eve of the truce announced by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, against the background of terrorist attacks using FPV drones against civilian targets and civilians." "This is one of the elements of that comprehensive strategy to increase escalation," the expert added.
According to him, the combined attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces using various types of drones suggests that the concept of combat operations in marine areas is beginning to dramatically affect the situation in the Black Sea area as a whole.
"This also indicates the inevitable trend of adjusting the appearance of the naval forces as a whole at the global level and in the Russian Federation specifically. It is necessary to build an appropriate effective system of combined counteraction to current threats in the maritime theater of military operations: This is primarily the provision of a new effective water area security system based on a similar mass implementation of risk-free solutions," he notes.
Drones against drones
The expert continued: it is possible to counteract the BEC only through the mass production of drones, which will be even more efficient and cheaper. "In particular, current Chinese experience suggests that all modern destroyers are planned to be equipped with an additional security circuit, the so-called layered drone network, which will solve several tasks. Firstly, the provision of additional means of detection and reconnaissance, including for covering against high-precision systems, detecting and countering drones," says Stepanov.
The next echelon includes unmanned marine complexes with air defense systems, MANPADS, and remotely controlled combat modules that can work preemptively and ensure the safety of the surface fleet, increase its survivability and efficiency when performing specialized tasks, he noted. "These systems can be used to resolve issues not only of a defensive nature, but also as part of offensive actions, acting as a kind of proactive buffer that allows neutralizing the actions of kamikaze drones, which have de facto blocked naval activity in the Black Sea water area," the expert said.
The concept of ensuring the safety of the water area from the point of view of monitoring can be adjusted by creating an analog of an early warning system, as in case of missile attacks on the ground, adds Stepanov.
"In this case, we are talking about the early detection of mass group movement of air, surface and underwater systems. Accordingly, those key water areas that require security should be additionally equipped with a distributed system of sensors, including acoustic, underwater, with appropriate signatures, as well as mobile visual monitoring systems that allow remote detection of targets and timely decision-making on their destruction," he says.
He notes that we can also talk about using a surface fleet with remotely controlled modules, including high-speed guns, to destroy kamikaze drones at the approach stage. All this should be effectively covered from the air not only by helicopter and fighter aircraft, but also by barraging ammunition and attack UAVs, he added.
"Therefore, it is impossible to do without an emergency buffer, a robotic layered security system. And the complexity of the solutions lies in the use of all types of detection, monitoring and deployment tools for these purposes, including the capabilities of the space group. The solution with the deployment of attack drones on motherships deployed to the maritime patrol zone as a "long arm" is also effective," Stepanov notes.
Closure of the water area
"As we understand it, the key target ahead of the tourist season for the enemy is Crimea. First of all, for the British, who are one of the flagships of escalation and blocking the possibility of a peaceful settlement," he continues.
In this regard, Stepanov says, the key solution is to close the sea area to any activity from the northern Black Sea region as a whole, including from the coastal zone of Ukraine.
"We must understand that similar plots and scenarios are now being guaranteed in our other border waters. This applies to the Baltic, eastern, and Arctic destinations. The entire methodology, the concept of application, the identification of vulnerabilities of the surface fleet and the system for ensuring the safety of marine waters and airspace will be massively taken into account when introducing new systems and types of damage by NATO countries to block our maritime logistics on key communications, including the Northern Sea Route," he concluded.
