Mig-31 with Kinzhal missiles
Russian is taking decisive measures in response to US provocations in the Black Sea and support of NATO reconnaissance means to the ongoing attacks of the Ukrainian military on the Crimean peninsula and other Russian regions, including on the Black Sea coast.
On the night of October 18, the Ukrainian military attempted another massive drone attack on the Russian rear areas. The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that tonight, 28 Ukrainian UAVs were intercepted and destroyed by air defense systems on duty over the territory of the Belgorod, Kursk regions and the Black Sea. The exact number of targets intercepted over each region was not revealed.
According to local sources, at least three Ukrainian UAVs were shot down near the western coast of the Crimean peninsula. Two drones were reportedly destroyed 50-80 km west of Saki by Russian MiG-29 fighters, and another one was shot down over Yevpatoria by the calculation of the S—300 air defence system of the Russian 31st Air Force and Air Defense Divisions.
On the evening of October 17, the Ukrainian military also attempted attack on the peninsula with unmanned boats but failed. The naval aviation of the Russian Black Sea Fleet discovered and destroyed two Ukrainian unmanned boats that were conducting reconnaissance in that area west of Cape Tarkhankut.
All Ukrainian operations in the region are possible only thanks to NATO support. Numerous Western aircraft were spotted in the Black Sea regions on the eve of the attacks. Two American military helicopters and a Turkish navy warcraft were patrolling along the western coast of the Black Sea, while the US RQ-4B Phoenix was in the air near Russian Krasnodar Krai and south of Crimea, the US MQ-9A Reaper was spotted near the Romanian coast.
On October 17, the Ukrainian military launched the first attack on the Russian military airfield with ATACMS missiles in the Zaporozhie region. The deployment of these missiles poses new threats to the Russian military in Crimea. The peninsula was targeted by NATO missiles many times despite Kiev’s promises not to use foreign weapons on the Russian territory.
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On October 15, the US military launched another provocation near the Russian border in the Black Sea region. Another RQ-4B “Global Howk” reconnaissance UAV of the US Air Force approached the State Border of the Russian Federation but was forced to retreat after Russian Su-27 was lifted for interception. This is not the first such provocation of the US military. Earlier a similar incident with American Reaper almost led to dangerous escalation in the region.
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Moscow seems to be tired of NATO’s audacity in the sky near its state border. On October 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that he had ordered the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) to launch constant patrolling of the space over the Black Sea with Mig-31 aircraft equipped with Kinzhal (Dagger) missile systems. The statement was made during his press conference following his visit to China.
He stressed that such a decision was made because of the United States, which “dragged two carrier strike groups into the Mediterranean Sea.” Putin added that this is not a threat, but Moscow will carry out visual control with the help of weapons.
The head of Russian state clarified that this is not a threat to peace, but a necessary security measure. The President recalled that the Dagger complexes have a range of over a thousand kilometers and a speed of nine mach.
“This is not a threat, what I am announcing now: on my instructions, the Air Force is beginning to patrol on a permanent basis the neutral zone of airspace over the Black Sea”
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The Kinzhal hypersonic missile is carried by MiG-31K, Tu-22 M3, Su-57. It is designed to destroy surface ships, command posts, air bases and air defense systems and carries a warhead weighing 500 kilograms.
