Monday, August 26, 2024

Russia's largest attack on Ukraine just showed that its Black Sea Fleet is still dangerous despite its heavy losses

A warship fires missiles on the open ocean.
This handout photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service in July 2024 shows long-range Kalibr cruise missiles launched by a Russian military ship from an unknown location.
  • Russia carried out its largest air attack against Ukraine so far on Monday.
  • The attack included 28 Kalibr missiles fired from Russian naval vessels in the Black Sea.
  • Russia's Black Sea Fleet has taken heavy losses, but the attack shows it's still a threat.

Russia fired hundreds of missiles and attack drones into Ukraine on Monday, targeting critical infrastructure and other sites across the country in what Ukraine said was the largest aerial bombardment of the war.

Ukraine's air force said it detected 127 missiles launched by Russian aircraft, ground forces, and warships, as well as an additional 109 drones. Kyiv said that it destroyed 102 missiles and 99 drones during the massive barrage.

At least seven people were killed in the attack, and dozens more were injured, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said Monday evening local time.

The Russian attack involved several different types of weapons, including 28 Kalibr cruise missiles that were fired from "surface" and "underwater carriers in the eastern part of the Black Sea," Ukraine's air force said, indicating launches from surface warships and submarines.

Ukrainian emergency service workers try to extinguish a fire that broke out after the Russian missile attack on Odesa on August 26.
Ukrainian emergency service workers try to extinguish a fire that broke out after the Russian missile attack on Odesa on August 26.

The involvement of Russia's Black Sea Fleet shows it is still capable of carrying out large-scale attacks on Ukraine despite taking heavy losses.

Ukraine claims to have sunk, damaged, or destroyed at least a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet since the start of the war — a notable success given that Kyiv doesn't have a proper navy of its own.

Ukrainian military and security forces have relied heavily on domestically produced naval drones and anti-ship missiles to engage in asymmetrical warfare and curb the Russian naval threat.

The Ukrainian campaign has ultimately forced the Black Sea Fleet to disperse from its headquarters in the southwestern corner of the occupied Crimean peninsula and relocate to the eastern part of the region, closer to Russia, where the Kalibr missiles were fired from on Monday.

A submarine fires a missile out of the ocean against a blue sky.
In this photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service in March 2024, a Kalibr cruise missile is fired from the Volkhov diesel submarine of Russia's Pacific Fleet as part of drills in an undisclosed location.

Despite these substantial setbacks to the fleet, a spokesperson for Ukraine's navy said earlier this year that Russia maintains a serious presence in the Black Sea, including a combination of missile carriers, submarines, and patrol ships.

Three Russian cruise missile submarines were spotted in the broad Black Sea area just a few weeks ago.

On Monday, Russia also launched ballistic missiles and cruise missiles from other platforms during its huge bombardment, including Tu-95 strategic bombers, Su-34 fighter-bombers, and Su-57 fifth-generation aircraft, Ukraine said, adding that its forces shot down 201 of the 236 aerial threats.

Business Insider was unable to verify the Ukrainian claims.

In this photo released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, July 21,2023, warships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet sail while taking part in naval drills in the Black Sea.
This photo, released by Russia's defense ministry on July 21, 2023, shows warships of the Black Sea Fleet sailing while participating in naval drills.

Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk, the commander of Ukraine's air force, said in a statement that "all available weapons and equipment were used to repel the air attack: aviation, anti-aircraft missile forces of the Air Force, mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Defence Forces and electronic warfare units."

John Kirby, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said that the US is focused on providing Ukraine with critical air-defense systems and interceptor missiles to defend itself against such attacks in the future.

"Their air defense performed really well during these attacks," he told reporters Monday. "Clearly, some things got through. But they knocked the majority out of the sky, and we have to make sure they can continue to do that."

Read the original article on Business Insider


from All Content from Business Insider https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-attack-ukraine-shows-black-sea-fleet-dangerous-despite-losses-2024-8
via gqrds

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Back To Top