Restrict NATO's intelligence collection and threaten to shoot down US drones! The Russian army is considering a no-fly zone over the Black Sea

Source: Global Times

"To shoot down or not to shoot down: how Russia should strike American drones in the Black Sea." Russia's "Izvestia" reported on June 29 with this title that after the US military drone repeatedly collected intelligence over the Black Sea and provided it to the Ukrainian army, Russia is considering taking corresponding countermeasures, including setting up a no-fly zone over the Black Sea, and even "shooting down illegal US drones".

The Russian Ministry of Defense began to develop a response plan

According to the report, the Ukrainian army used U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missiles (ATACMS) to strike civilians on Sevastopol Beach on June 23, causing more than 150 casualties, and the U.S. "Global Hawk" drone in the Black Sea helped Ukraine in this strike, causing strong dissatisfaction from Russia. U.S. strategic drones often collect Russian intelligence over the Black Sea, and then provide it to the Ukrainian army to strike at Russian targets.

Russia's "Izvestia" newspaper said on June 29 that the frequent flights of US reconnaissance drones on the Russian border for a long time have caused concern among the Russian military. The Russian Defense Ministry said on June 28 that on the same day, Russian Defense Minister 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." According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the flight intensity of US strategic drones over the waters of the Black Sea has increased, they carry out reconnaissance activities and indicate targets for high-precision weapons supplied by the West to the Ukrainian army. This proves that NATO is getting more and more involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. At the same time, the actions of these drones increase the likelihood of an accident with the Russian Aerospace Forces in the airspace of the Black Sea, increasing the risk of a direct conflict between NATO and Russia, and "the corresponding responsibility will be borne by NATO countries."

Dmitry Belik, a deputy from the Russian State Duma, said that Russia's attitude to the presence of American reconnaissance drones in the Black Sea is very clear. "If they don't fully understand this, then let them take the blame." He said that the US military drone was directly related to the death of Sevastopol residents, because it was the reconnaissance intelligence provided by the US military drone that provided key information for the Ukrainian army to launch an attack.

"Various methods can be used"

Russian experts have made their position clear on how to respond to such provocative actions of the United States. Russia's "Moscow Evening News" said on June 29 that Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of Russia's "National Defense" magazine, said that the statement of the Russian Ministry of Defense shows that Russia intends to respond more harshly to the activities of US strategic reconnaissance drones over the Black Sea, and one of the options may be to establish a no-fly zone over the region and warn that military targets in it will be destroyed. "This means that it is possible to respond more forcefully to the strategic reconnaissance operations carried out by the United States using drones in the air," he said. In his opinion, it is necessary to study the option of creating a no-fly zone over the Black Sea, and another option is to use long-range air defense systems or fighters of the Russian Aerospace Forces to expel American drones.

Russian military expert Alexei Leonkov believes that after the Ukrainian army used American-made ATACMS missiles to attack civilians on Sevastopol beach, the General Staff of the Russian army began to seriously consider the issue of countering American drones. "We will soon hear about the creation of a no-fly zone 300-400 kilometers off the coast of Crimea," he said. During the special military operation, the creation of such a no-fly zone is a reciprocal response to the provocations of US military drones in the Black Sea. The American RQ-4 Global Hawk strategic unmanned reconnaissance aircraft can observe distances up to 200 km. Therefore, as soon as it enters the 200-kilometer zone, measures must be taken against it. If we declare a no-fly zone, then the appearance of NATO drones or reconnaissance aircraft here will be considered a direct military threat. Although, formally, no country has the right to close the airspace of international waters, which requires a mandate from the United Nations. However, when the United States invaded Iraq, the West imposed a no-fly zone over Iraq, which was not authorized by the United Nations. In my opinion, the constant attacks of the Ukrainian army on Russian rear facilities, which cause the death of civilians, are justification for the establishment of a no-fly zone over the neutral waters of the Black Sea. ”

Russian military expert Viktor Litovkin said: "The US and NATO drones carry out such actions for several purposes: first, they are creating conditions to maximize the impact on the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Crimea and the Crimean bridge." Secondly, conduct reconnaissance of continental air defense systems and advanced defense systems, pass this information to Ukraine in order to inflict maximum blows on the Russian army in these directions. The activities of these drones over the Black Sea are also provocative. The United States and NATO use this to show who is the master of the Black Sea. These actions could lead to a direct conflict between Russia and the United States, as well as NATO. ”

Litovkin revealed that Russian Defense Minister Belousov has ordered the General Staff to come up with proposals to strike these drones, one of which may be to designate the Black Sea as a no-fly zone. Because of the ongoing special military operation in Ukraine, the flight of Western drones over the Black Sea can lead to serious accidents, causing damage to aircraft and personnel. If they do not heed these warnings, Russia will use measures against them. Last year, Russian Su-27 fighter jets dumped fuel on a US MQ-9 drone over the Black Sea, causing the US drone to crash into the Black Sea. A few days ago, the Russian MiG-31 fighter jet also flew over the American Global Hawk drone at supersonic speed, and the powerful turbulence generated forced the latter to stop working and make a forced landing at a base in Sicily. Thus, Russia has various ways to influence the activities of these UAVs, "all kinds of methods can be used if the United States does not stop provocative flights over the Black Sea."

Lieutenant General Valery Gorbinko, former commander of the 4th Russian Air Force and Air Defense Army, said: "I think that the skies over these neutral waters should be closed due to hostilities, as the Americans did in this case." Of course, this will cause protests, but in my opinion, it is the best option. ”

The risk of direct conflict is increasing

According to Russia's "Viewpoint" newspaper on June 29, in response to the latest statement of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Pentagon Deputy Spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said that it is legal for US drones and aircraft to fly in international waters. She stressed that the United States will continue to fly over the high seas waters of the Black Sea.

Dmitry Kornev, editor of the Russian portal, said that drones flying in neutral waters are very important for the United States, "they have been monitoring the entire southern part of the special military operation and adjacent Russian regions, including the Crimea, in order to obtain all the information of the Russian army," so the United States will not easily abandon such operations. In his opinion, shooting down an American drone in neutral waters is prone to escalating the conflict, and other methods can be employed, such as rendering the drone useless through electronic jamming.

British expert Alexander Merkullis believes that NATO is concerned about the relevant statements of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Next, Russia may begin to shoot down US and NATO drones over the Black Sea, and in the future Western drones will not be able to conduct operations smoothly in the region. In addition, the risk of a direct clash between Western and Russian aircraft over the Black Sea is increasing, and the situation has become dangerous.