Russia exposed air defense vulnerabilities when Ukraine attacked the `heart` of the Black Sea Fleet

(Dan Tri) – Ukraine is said to have taken advantage of Russia’s air defense loopholes by continuously conducting raids on the Crimean peninsula.

Russia’s air defense system in Crimea (Photo: Sputnik).

In recent weeks, Ukraine has launched a series of large-scale attacks against Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Crimea.

Attacks on the Black Sea Fleet increased not long after Ukraine increased its military operations in Crimea during the counteroffensive campaign.

Ukraine attacked the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean city of Sevastopol last week, in an attack that Kiev said killed at least nine people and injured more than a dozen others.

Just a week earlier, a major Ukrainian attack on the shipyard of the Black Sea Fleet left a large landing ship Minsk and the Russian attack submarine Rostov-on-Don severely damaged.

`This is a blow to the heart of the Black Sea Fleet. Everyone will see it because it cannot be hidden,` commented Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat.

Guy McCardle, editor of the military magazine SOFREP (US), commented that Russia `seems not to have enough weapons to protect its naval vessels, and Ukraine knows this`.

John Spencer, a retired U.S. Army major and an urban warfare expert at the Madison Policy Forum, told Newsweek that Russia’s defenses in Crimea are not supported by howitzer installations.

`Ukraine has exposed a major air defense gap in Crimea in general and in Sevastopol in particular,` Mr. Spencer said.

According to expert Spencer, Russia appears to lack air defense equipment such as radar capable of detecting incoming attacks as well as weapons to shoot down incoming drones and ammunition.

`Ukraine has found ways, electronic warfare, different tactics, to neutralize some of Russia’s air defense capabilities such as the S-300/S-400 missile system. That may be why they

Expert McCardle said that it is difficult for Russia to do much to strengthen defense capabilities in Crimea due to depleted resources.

`It wouldn’t be too difficult to move defense batteries around the Black Sea ports. But I think at this point, Russia has difficult choices about where to use their remaining assets,` Mr. McCardle said.

Ukraine’s increased attacks on Russian targets in Crimea may be partly due to the number of weapons Kiev currently has.

`Ukraine seems to have an inexhaustible supply of drones and missiles and is using them against the Black Sea Fleet,` said expert McCardle.

As for why Kiev is focusing its attention on the Black Sea Fleet, Northwestern University political science professor William Reno said that Ukraine is trying to change Russian public opinion about the war.

`Ukraine’s attacks on Crimea have not significantly reduced Russia’s military capabilities,` Reno said, but said Ukraine’s `real purpose` was to show the Russian people that Moscow `doesn’t even

According to Reno expert, `Russian elites, including in the military, are increasingly losing patience.`