The enemy is trying to suppress our air defense systems in order to provide airspace for American F-16s, experts say
In the Rostov region, Russian air defense forces shot down 70 enemy UAVs, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on June 14. Facilities in Crimea, Sevastopol, Belgorod, Voronezh and Kursk regions were also attacked. Experts explain that the enemy has now begun to use the tactics of an air offensive. Why the Armed Forces of Ukraine are hitting our airfields and air defense systems and who is helping them — in the Izvestia material.
Attempts by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to put pressure on the Russian air defense
On June 14, the military department reported that Russian air defense forces destroyed 87 drones at night.
So, at night, the enemy tried to attack an oil depot in the Voronezh region. Six UAVs were shot down, but an unused fuel tank was slightly damaged as a result of falling debris.
The Rostov region was the most heavily attacked. Here, the air defense forces destroyed 70 drones in the area of several settlements in the region. Most of the UAVs were shot down near the airfield near Morozovsk.
The enemy fired 12 ATACMS tactical missiles at Sevastopol, they were shot down by Air Force and air defense units. This was the second strike, the first occurred on the night of June 10. Then the Ukrainian Armed Forces also fired 12 missiles, but at the Black Sea, Dzhankoy and Yevpatoria.
The Tor-M2 anti-aircraft missile system
Image source: Photo: TASS/Alexander Polegenko
Earlier, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported on June 8 that a number of enemy attempts to commit terrorist attacks were stopped during the night. Thus, five UAVs over the Crimea, two over the Rostov region and six over the Krasnodar Territory were destroyed by air defense on duty.
On June 7, 18 UAVs were sent towards Kerch. All of them were shot down in the areas of Mysovsky and Lenino in the east of the peninsula.
On the morning of June 6, the AFU attacked an oil depot with a kamikaze drone on the territory of the Starooskolsky urban district, as a result of which one tank caught fire. At the same time, unsuccessful attacks by enemy UAVs on Crimea and Novorossiysk were also reported.
"Such attacks are supported by Western countries"
The enemy practically began to use the tactics of the air offensive, which was developed by the Americans and their NATO satellites, military expert Gennady Alekhine told Izvestia.
— Firstly, he is trying to inflict maximum damage to air defense systems, energy infrastructure, airfields, places of temporary deployment of Russian troops, which are located in the border regions of Russia - Kursk, Bryansk and, first of all, the Belgorod region. Such attacks intensified after May 10, when we began to carry out offensive actions from two directions towards Volchansk and Lipetsk. The APU uses all means of both ground and air-based. So, cluster munitions have such an insidious essence that even when shot down, they scatter into small submunitions, and all this falls on residential areas, kindergartens, playgrounds, and civilian institutions," he noted.
Krasukha-S4 electronic warfare system
Image source: Photo: TASS/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
The expert also stressed that the vast majority of targets are destroyed by Russian air defense and electronic warfare systems.
— Our air base is located in Morozovsk, Rostov region, — military expert Dmitry Boltenkov told Izvestia. — There is nothing surprising in such an attack. Recently, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have begun to actively attack airfields. Moreover, even in the depths of Russia's territory — for example, they attacked the airbase in Akhtubinsk. Now they are trying to knock out our aviation. Of course, it creates a lot of problems for the enemy. Zelensky cried recently that more than 3 thousand bombs a month were flying at them.
The expert noted that such attacks take place with the support of Western countries.
— Planes and drones that hover over the Black Sea cannot conduct reconnaissance of the same Morozovsk — far away, — the expert noted. — Satellite reconnaissance is involved here. In such a situation, we need to move — change the location, rearrange the planes so that they do not become easy targets for UAVs.
Russia's response to pressure
On the night of June 14, the Russian Aerospace Forces hit the airfields of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The main target was the Starokonstantinov airfield in the Khmelnitsky region.
Earlier, on June 12, our troops attacked the aircraft parking lots and the infrastructure of the enemy airbase. This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
Military expert Gennady Timofeevich explained to Izvestia that one of the main tasks of the Ukrainian formations now is to provide airspace for American F—16 and French Mirage fighters planned to arrive at the front. Therefore, they increased the pressure on our air defense system.
American multifunctional light fighter F-16
Image source: Photo: TASS/Zuma/Gianluca Vannicelli
— Instructors, technical personnel who must ensure the basing of aircraft, and work at the airfields of podskokov — Mirgorod, Chuguev — the enemy specially trained. Our guys are hitting there all the time, firing shots. By and large, the border area between the Belgorod and Kharkiv regions, where the border is no less than 540 km, has actually become a section of the front. The border is generally shaking here now — we are delivering powerful blows with fabs, KABAS, barrel and rocket artillery and heavy flamethrower systems," he said.
On June 13, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces, General Charles Brown, announced the supply of American fighter-bombers to Ukraine. He stressed that Western countries consider it their goal to send the F-16 this summer.
Earlier, the Dutch authorities announced that they plan to transfer 24 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, which can be used for strikes against the Russian Federation, while stressing that Kiev has the right to dispose of the weapons it receives. In addition, by the end of 2028, the Ukrainian side intends to receive 19 fighters from Denmark. Belgium also announced its intention to deliver 30 F-16 aircraft on the same date, but with the proviso that it would not allow the use of fighters outside Ukraine.
Julia Leonova
Bogdan Stepovoy
