Recently, the Ukrainian army has launched frequent missile attacks on the Crimean Peninsula, using the M-270B "Seahorse" rocket launch system originally provided by NATO, and the missiles launched are ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles with a range of 300 kilometers provided by the United States. The missile uses a cluster warhead with hundreds of submunitions in the warhead, which is extremely lethal to ground targets, especially personnel. More than 150 people were killed and injured on the beach of Sevastopol by a runaway ATACMS tactical ballistic missile.
And the outside world suspects the ignominious role played by the RQ-4 Global Hawk high-altitude reconnaissance drone operating in the airspace of the eastern Black Sea in this Ukrainian missile attack on Sevastopol in Crimea. Because, Ukraine uses the M-270B "Hippocampus" rocket artillery to launch ATACMS tactical missiles, and needs to provide information on the targets to be hit through aerial reconnaissance, and in the process of strike, provide navigation and positioning instructions for ATACMS tactical missiles. And to meet these conditions, Ukraine must rely on Western equipment, such as the RQ-4 Global Hawk reconnaissance drone.
On the day of the Ukrainian army's missile attack on Sevastopol, media people broke the news that an RQ-4 "Global Hawk" drone was shot down by the Russian Air Force in the eastern Black Sea. Coincidentally, the US Secretary of Defense then offered to speak on the phone with the Russian counterpart. Apparently this was an extraordinary emergency call, as the last military-diplomatic phone call between the two defense ministers was in March 2023. The US military is in such a hurry, there is only one possibility, that is, something big is happening in the direction of the Black Sea. And in the phone call, the U.S. defense secretary emphasized the need for the two militaries to maintain communication.
However, on the one hand, the US side does not admit that its RQ-4 Global Hawk reconnaissance drone was shot down, and then continues to deploy reconnaissance aircraft to the airspace over the eastern Black Sea. This will undoubtedly further infuriate the Russian army. Today, the Russian Ministry of Defense issued an announcement that it will take swift countermeasures against American strategic drones that carry out provocative activities in the Black Sea. The Russian Ministry of Defense noted the intensity of the flight of American strategic drones over the Black Sea and carried out reconnaissance and target designation of high-precision weapons (used by the Ukrainian army), the bulletin said. Relevant intelligence information is provided by Western countries to the Armed Forces of Ukraine for use in striking Russian targets.
The announcement said that such flights increased the likelihood of accidents in the airspace. Increases the risk of a direct confrontation between the Western military alliance and the Russian Federation. (Any consequences arising from this) will be the responsibility of NATO countries. To this end, the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Andrei Belusov instructed the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to respond quickly to the provocation. It is not clear whether the "rapid countermeasures" mentioned by the Russian military are gentle expulsion or direct downing? Military experts say the Russian military may then create a no-fly zone over the Black Sea against the activities of Western military aircraft.