Since the United States publicly provided ATACMS missiles to the Ukrainian army in April this year, the Ukrainian army has used the intelligence provided by US military drones to carry out multiple saturation attacks on air defense systems and airfields in Crimea, causing huge losses to the Russian army!
In the past week, the Russian army has carried out a key strike on the Ukrainian army's Hippocampus system that launched missiles into Crimea, 6 Hippocampus systems were destroyed, and the Russian army also filmed the whole process when it launched the attack!
On June 28, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov ordered the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces to come up with countermeasures as soon as possible and respond in a timely and effective manner to the provocation of US drones over the Black Sea. This means that the Russian army will soon use all possible means to drive away or destroy US drones over the Black Sea.
The struggle for control of Crimea is the focus of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the Ukrainian army has been on the defensive in the Donbas, but has continued to strike Crimea with drones and ATACMS missiles.
In March 2014, the Russian army took control of the Crimean Peninsula without bloodshed, advancing Russia's defense line in the direction of the Black Sea to NATO countries by more than 350 kilometers, which was a strategic victory for Russia over NATO after the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Since then, Ukraine and NATO have been trying to regain control of Crimea and once again seal off the Black Sea Fleet off Russia's coast.
Therefore, in addition to the Kharkiv counteroffensive, the goal of the main offensive operations of the Ukrainian army is basically around the destruction of the Russian army's control over Crimea.
From the very beginning of the war, the Ukrainian army and NATO's special forces have always made the destruction of the Kerch Bridge, which connects mainland Russia and Crimea, an important operational goal, in order to cut off the connection between Crimea and Russia mainland as soon as possible.
In June 2022, the Ukrainian army began a counteroffensive in the Kherson direction, hoping to regain control of Kherson and cut off the land passage from the Russian mainland to Crimea.
In June 2023, the Ukrainian army launched a summer counteroffensive, launching a fierce attack on the Surovikin defense line of more than 150 kilometers between Zaporozhye and Ugledar in Yuzhnodonetsk, and its main goal is to break through the Surovikin defense line and march into the Sea of Azov.
Beginning in November 2023, the Russian army, which has an absolute advantage in troops, began to switch to a strategic counteroffensive, and the Ukrainian army was losing ground on the battlefield in Donbass. In mid-February, the Russian army captured Avadiivka and quickly advanced more than ten kilometers in the direction of the Red Army City, and around Maryinka the Russian army captured Novomykhailivka and captured the main city of Krasnogovka. In the Bakhmut direction, the Russian army has already captured the summit area of Chasov Yar, and the geographical advantage previously occupied by the Ukrainian army no longer exists. The entire Ukrainian front is almost full of holes, and the Russian army is making new progress every day.
Under such circumstances, the United States has provided Ukraine with a large number of ATACMS missiles to help Ukraine stabilize the situation on the battlefield.
But it is very strange that the Ukrainian army rarely uses ATACMS missiles to attack the offensive forces of the Russian army in the Donbas region, but instead uses valuable ATACMS missiles mainly to hit air defense systems and airfields in the Crimea region.
This can only show that in the eyes of the Ukrainian government and NATO, the destruction and even elimination of the Russian army's control over Crimea is more important than the gains and losses in the Donbass region!
As long as the Russian army has full control of Crimea, there will be no security for NATO and Ukraine in the Black Sea, and only by driving the Russians out of Crimea, or at least forcing the Russian army to withdraw from Crimea, can the interests of Ukraine and NATO in the Black Sea region be ensured. This is the underlying logic of the Ukrainian army and NATO that would rather lose Donbass than allow the Russians to live in Crimea.
American drones, satellites and ATACMS missiles form a complete missile attack chain, which has caused heavy losses to the Russian army, and Russia will definitely counterattack!
According to the Russian Satellite News Agency, on June 28, the Russian Ministry of Defense released a message saying that Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov instructed the General Staff of the Russian Army to propose countermeasures to respond in a timely and effective manner to provocations related to the increasingly frequent appearance of US strategic drones over the Black Sea.
This shows that the Russian military top brass has begun to face up to the role of the US military in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The Ukrainian army used ATACMS missiles to strike at Crimea, with American drones and satellites providing intelligence, and it is also possible that the Americans operate the Hippocampus system that launches ATACMS missiles.
Therefore, nominally, the Ukrainian army carried out missile attacks on the Crimean air defense system, airfields and seaports, but all this was completely arranged by the United States or NATO, and the Ukrainian army may have only done logistical work.
In order to crack the missile attack chain of the US military, in addition to striking at the Hippocampus system that launches ATACMS missiles, the Russian military must also take corresponding countermeasures against the strategic drones and satellites in space operating in the Black Sea region, even if there is a direct military conflict with the US military. Otherwise there will be no peace in the Crimea!
What kind of measures will the Russian army take?
Russian military analyst and editor-in-chief of the magazine "National Defense" Igor Korotchenko said that the statement of the Russian Defense Ministry indicates that the Russian side intends to respond more harshly to the activities of US strategic reconnaissance drones over the Black Sea, and one of the response options may be to establish a no-fly zone over the region and warn that military targets in it will be destroyed.
In fact, the Russian army may have already begun to do this!
According to Russian media reports, an RQ-4 Global Hawk drone fell over the Black Sea on June 23 after a Russian warplane flew over the aircraft. Subsequently, both the United States and Russia officially denied the news, but there is no wind and no waves, and it is really difficult to say what the truth is.
According to a report by Russia's "Military Review" on June 26, a MiG-31 fighter forced back an RQ-4 Global Hawk drone over the Black Sea on the same day, and no one stood up to deny it this time!
As the fighting methods of Russian fighters and US drones over the Black Sea become increasingly fierce, a direct conflict between the US and Russian armies seems to be becoming a reality!
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