Experts call preventive strikes one of the main means of countering attacks by missiles and drones
The most effective and reliable way to protect the Crimean Peninsula and other regions of Russia from air attacks is to launch preventive strikes, working ahead of the curve, experts interviewed by Izvestia believe. Among the methods of protection, they also named the use of anti-aircraft missile, electronic and aviation cover, reconnaissance of missile sites and the creation of regional air defense systems. On Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry called the US involvement in the attack on Sevastopol, as a result of which more than 150 people were injured, undoubted. How the Russian armed forces can protect cities from rocket attacks and drone attacks — in the Izvestia article.
Working ahead of the curve
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on June 24 that the US involvement in the attack on Sevastopol is beyond doubt.
"Washington and its satellites have created and educated the neo—Nazi regime in Kiev, actively nurture and support their Ukrainian puppets, wage war against Russia with their hands and encourage them to commit acts of international terrorism," the message says.
The day before, the Russian Defense Ministry said that all flight missions to ATACMS missiles are entered by American specialists based on their own data from US satellite intelligence. Therefore, Washington is responsible for the attack on civilians, the ministry said.
All military experts interviewed by Izvestia agreed that the most reliable way to protect Russian cities from rocket attacks is to work ahead of the enemy. According to them, it is necessary to find places where missile systems are based, missile storage, command posts and immediately destroy them. It is also necessary to track the routes of these complexes, monitor the areas from where the launches are coming from, and hit missiles before they are launched.
The enemy's goals and objectives are to disable the Russian air defense system, and the final one is the Crimean Bridge, former deputy head of the Air Force for the CIS Joint Air Defense System, Reserve Lieutenant General Aytech Bizhev told Izvestia.
— And the enemy will continue to methodically strike at the combat formations of anti-aircraft missile systems. The leadership of the Armed Forces and the military-political leadership are now paying great attention to this moment. All measures are being taken — anti-aircraft missile, electronic and aviation cover, as well as destroying the places from where the missiles are launched. All this in a complex should bring results," he stressed.
Reconnaissance is certainly underway, sometimes a thorough analysis of the situation with the help of space and aerial reconnaissance helps to find launchers and destroy them along with combat crews, military expert Alexei Leonkov said.
— But the fact is that these installations and even the planes that carry Storm Shadow missiles are trying to use from such zones that are not controlled by us. This is if we are talking about airspace. If we are talking about ground facilities, then the AFU is working on the "nomadic artillery" tactic. That is, they can launch missiles from any convenient point and then change their position, therefore, in order to catch them, it is necessary to have a duty link of our aircraft in the air so that they also react to the launch," he summed up.
To confuse
As Colonel Alexander Perendzhiev, Associate professor at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, noted in an interview with Izvestia, ATACMS missiles are guided by American UAVs.
"They are in neutral waters, so if we shoot them down, the West will begin to respond to these actions," he said. — So here it is necessary to follow the path of their "blinding" in order to neutralize them. Now we need to strengthen electronic warfare systems and, of course, do everything necessary to break this guidance system.
Alexey Leonkov expressed the same opinion, stressing that in such attacks, the targeting of NATO countries — space and air — is a key link.
"The drones that fly over the Black Sea determine where the air defense systems are operating, and then the flight task and tactics of using high—precision weapons are compiled based on these data," he explained.
"The problem itself is somewhat broader than protection from missile attacks"
In Sevastopol, all the missiles were shot down, one of them went off the trajectory and self-detonation followed, military expert Vladislav Shurygin told Izvestia.
"It turns out that such missiles need to be intercepted far from the city, over the sea, which is difficult," he noted. — The problem itself is somewhat broader than protection from missile attacks. The frequent strikes are becoming more massive — drones are being used especially a lot. We need to make a decision and a program to create a local air defense system. There is the Ministry of Emergency Situations, which deals with emergency situations, and within its framework it is necessary to create air defense units and civil defense units. We now have a special situation center in each region related to threats of air attacks. They only work to alert the public. This is not enough. We need units that would cover the main facilities with at least small arms. There is no need for drones anymore. To do this, you need to attract business.
Over the past month, attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the territory of Crimea have become more frequent. On June 23, Ukraine attacked Sevastopol with five ATACMS ballistic missiles. According to the Russian military department, during the repulse of a missile attack by the air defense forces on duty, four American ATACMS missiles were intercepted. The explosion of the fragmentation warhead of the fifth American missile in the air led to numerous casualties among the civilians of Sevastopol. As a result, four people died and 153 were injured.
Earlier, the enemy also attempted similar strikes, in particular, on June 21, 70 UAVs were intercepted and destroyed by air defense on duty, on May 24, three ATACMS tactical missiles, and on May 19, nine missiles and one enemy UAV.
Julia Leonova
Bogdan Stepovoy
