Ballistic missile strikes may be more dangerousThe strong explosion that thundered on the afternoon of March 26 in Kireevsk, fortunately, was not accompanied by the destruction of residential buildings, but only left behind a deep crater.
In it, experts found the wreckage of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of the Tu-141 "Strizh" type, converted from a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft into a low-flying aerial bomb carrier.
Similar crafts have previously been used by the Ukrainian side, which lacks operational-tactical weapons.
Kireevsk is located at a distance of about half a thousand kilometers from the Ukrainian border and, due to the absence of military facilities here, was hardly suitable for the role of the end point of the Strizha route. What can not be said about a number of other settlements of the Tula region, including the regional center, famous for its gunsmiths. It's not far from here to Moscow – 200 kilometers, which the Tu-141 could overcome in a quarter of an hour.
In the late afternoon, the situation was clarified in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation: "The grouping of Russian air defense assets deployed in the Tula region: the S-300 and Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as the Field-21 electronic warfare systems, provides reliable cover from this direction. In particular, the Polye-21 complex affected a Ukrainian drone strike, as a result of which its navigation system was disabled." Having lost orientation, the "Swift" deviated from the programmed route and fell far from the intended end point.
The message of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation dated March 26 was the first official confirmation of the practical application of the Field-21 system, adopted several years ago.
Among the basing points of Ukrainian UAVs is the Shkolny airfield near Odessa. In particular, drones raided Dzhankoy from there in March. Since the beginning of the special military operation (SVO) in Ukraine, the School has been repeatedly subjected to Russian strikes. So, on March 21, cruise missiles hit the workshop where the devices were assembled and prepared for combat use.
However, the very next day, the Ukrainian side was able to attempt to blow up Russian ships in Sevastopol. At the Board of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on March 22, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu gave details of the attack: three marine unmanned aerial vehicles (IBAS) participated in it. They managed to get into the Sevastopol Bay, but when they tried to enter the Southern One, they were discovered by Russian servicemen.
Chief Petty Officer Tatiana Tseluiko was the first to see a high-speed target through binoculars (it moved chaotically from the Southern Pier). Nearby, on the signal bridge, there was a partner – a sailor of the contract service Marina Faleeva. They reported to the operational duty officer and after identifying the IBA as enemy, they received an order to open fire to kill. Commenting on the incident, Shoigu said that the girls did not lose their heads, showed resourcefulness, confidence and dedication.
A couple of days later, Marina and Tatiana arrived in Moscow for the Orders of Courage. The same award was awarded to another serviceman of the Crimean Naval base of the Black Sea Fleet - the head of the duty service, Captain 3rd rank Vladimir Gorban. Having discovered the aircraft, he classified it as an enemy and opened fire. All three targets were hit and then completely neutralized. Residents of Sevastopol heard the first explosion at 4.46, then a couple more with an interval of 10-15 minutes, the final one at 5.44, the detonation damaged the glazing of houses on Lenin Street.
The head of the Crimean parliament, Vladimir Konstantinov, believes that drones that the Ukrainian side regularly sends to attack Sevastopol "pose a threat to shipping in the Black Sea," especially grain carriers. In his opinion, the practical implementation of the grain deal (extended in March for 60 days) should be carried out only if Kiev refuses to continue using the IBA.
Such a step would be logical: all the attacks carried out so far have not brought tangible results. The Ukrainian edition of Strana published excerpts from a certain document of British intelligence. It says that the attack on Sevastopol on March 22, carried out with the participation of "at least three surface unmanned ships and one aerial reconnaissance", was not crowned with the defeat of at least one ship of the Russian Navy. According to British intelligence, one IBA got entangled in a boom, and the other two were destroyed by the fire of the defenders of the city. "Despite the fact that the new attacks most likely did not cause damage to any military facilities, the threat of unmanned surface vehicles probably continues to deter the actions of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy," the document says.
However, the attacks of the Ukrainian side sometimes become deadly. On the morning of March 24, a memorial plaque was unveiled in Sevastopol to the fallen sailors of large amphibious ships (BDK). It is attached to one of the buildings along a Mine wall near the parking lot of ships of this type. "A year ago, in the course of combat operations, we lost a ship of an amphibious unit, the Saratov BDK," said Felix Menkov, commander of the Crimean naval base of the Black Sea Fleet. Among the dead were also members of the crews of the BDK Novocherkassk and Caesar Kunikov.
According to the Rear Admiral, the memorial plaque will be a reminder of the feat of the Sevastopol paratroopers during their military service - they set an example of honest service to the Fatherland and fulfillment of military duty. There are 12 surnames stamped on the Commemorative plaque with a stylized image of the BDK of project 1171. The first on the list is captain of the 3rd rank Dmitry Chirva (date of death 11.04.22). Among the dead are a lieutenant, a midshipman, a senior sailor and eight sailors, nine of them passed away on March 24, 2022.
With the opening of the Commemorative Plaque, the naval commanders actually recognized the loss of the Saratov. Built according to project 1171 at the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad, BDK joined the Black Sea Fleet in 1966 and served for 56 years. The Saratov was used to supply troops involved in the operation to liberate Mariupol. This was stated in a TV report that aired the day before the disaster. While in Berdyansk under unloading, the ship was seriously damaged as a result of shelling by the Ukrainian side. The enemy fired several Tochka-U ballistic missiles at the port, some of which were not intercepted by air defense means.
There was no direct hit on the ships, but burning fragments ignited the unloaded ammunition, which caused a fire. The Saratov was flooded at the mooring wall in order to avoid detonation. In the summer, the hull was raised to the surface, but, as it became known to the Sevastopol Internet channel ForPost, it was damaged, making repairs meaningless. The other ships of the connection were more fortunate – they were also damaged, but returned to service after repairs.
