Ukraine reveals weapons to attack the Black Sea Fleet that Russia `cannot defend`
(Dan Tri) – Ukraine confirmed that it attacked Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Crimea with long-range cruise missiles Storm Shadow and Scalp and Moscow `could not defend against it`.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol caught fire after Ukraine’s raid on September 22 (Photo: Twitter).
Speaking on national television on September 22, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat announced that the country’s military had successfully raided the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the city of Sevastopol, Crimea peninsula.
The official said that British Storm Shadow and Scalp cruise missiles were used in the raid.
`This is the best advertisement for our weapons, those weapons hit the target. For some reason, Russia’s air defense cannot defend, many times and will continue to do so,`
In addition, he said, the raid was conducted with information support from residents of the Crimean peninsula.
`This is a blow to the heart of the Black Sea Fleet. Everyone will see it because it cannot be hidden,` Mr. Ihnat commented.
The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that Ukraine launched a missile attack on the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol at noon on September 22.
Moscow also confirmed that the attack damaged the fleet headquarters and killed one soldier.
Storm Shadow is a cruise missile designed, developed and manufactured by European defense corporation MBDA.
This missile is equipped with a jet engine, allowing it to reach a maximum speed of up to 1,000km/h.
Britain began supplying Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine in May with the expectation that this weapon could help Ukraine `change the game` in its war with Russia.
With a range of 250-300km, the Storm Shadow missile has the ability to attack far beyond the weapons systems the US transferred to Ukraine, including versions of the direct attack guided munition system (JDAM) or the
Meanwhile, Scalp is a variant of Storm Shadow with a longer range, up to 560km.
These missiles use advanced guidance systems including GPS satellite navigation equipment, INS inertial navigation system and IIR infrared imaging.
When providing weapons aid to Ukraine, Western countries emphasized that Kiev must commit not to use those weapons to attack Russian territory, but did not mention Crimea – the peninsula annexed to Russia in 2014.
It is currently impossible to confirm the type of weapon and the level of damage in the raid on the Russian Black Sea Fleet on September 22.
Sputnik quoted Larry Johnson, a former CIA intelligence officer (USA), as saying that the Ukrainian Air Force could not raid the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet without reconnaissance and targeting data from Western partners.
`There is clearly NATO support in terms of intelligence and targeting data,` Mr Johnson said.
According to FlightRadar24 data, a US P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft was detected operating near Crimea before and during the attack.
The US and Ukraine have not commented on the above information.