‘This Has Never Happened In History Before’: What Targets Could Have Been Destroyed At Russian Saki Airbase?
- 21.09.2023, 13:43
The Russians have lost control of Crimean airspace.
On the night of September 21, the Security Service of Ukraine and the Navy launched a large-scale fire attack on the Saki military airfield in temporarily occupied Crimea.
What objects could have been hit? For comment, the Charter97.org website turned to the Ukrainian military-political observer of the Information Resistance group, Alexander Kovalenko:
– First of all, I would like to note that there are quite a lot of targets located on the territory of temporarily occupied Crimea. Saki airbase is one of them. Firstly, there was a large concentration of Russian Su-24 and Su-30 combat aircraft at this airbase. The invaders used it for operations in Ukrainian airspace in temporarily occupied territories.
Secondly, there was also a training base for operators of reconnaissance and attack supplied by Iran drones of the Mohajer-6 type.
We can qualify this strike as an attack on the aviation of the Russian occupiers and as on the operator training base. This is very important to prevent them from conducting reconnaissance activities and correcting the attacks of the same Shahed 136. After all, Mohajer plays the role of, let’s say, a “guide” for the Shaheds.
Therefore, it is important, if not to destroy the base with the Shaheds, then at least to eliminate the point where more serious non-reusable aircraft are located.
– What are the possible targets at the Saki airbase, besides those that you have already mentioned?
– The airbase was under the cover of the Pantsir-S1 short-range anti-aircraft missile and gun system. It is possible that this particular system was also damaged. This is evidenced by the success of the destruction of the objects themselves. I think that we will soon see satellite images and, perhaps, even photos and videos will appear.
I’d like to stress that the result of the attack on the Saki airbase was achieved by the complex use of various types of weapons, and it is possible that there were also weapons that could destroy air defence systems among them.
– Recently, the Russians have been hiding their warships, withdrawing them from the Black Sea. Will they also hide their aviation?
– The Russians will be forced to do this one way or another since they no longer control the airspace of Crimea at all. Russian air defence systems, the S-400 Triumph system, for example, was damaged. If they are already so easily affected, then what is the problem with eliminating any other object?
Even a submarine was “knocked over” with a cruise missile. You see, there has never been a case in world history when a submarine was damaged by an aircraft-launched cruise missile!
They will be forced to realize at some point that Crimea is not a safe place not only for their vessels and their flotilla but also for aviation.
I’d like to stress that Russia no longer controls the airspace over Crimea. As a result, there is a systematic destruction of Russian military infrastructure on the peninsula: equipment, depots, and so long and so far. The number of strikes will only increase. We are gradually destroying everything, and it is difficult for Russians to restore it. The S-400s, aviation and not to mention warships.
The Black Sea Fleet has already become a flotilla that very soon will not be safe in the Sea of Azov. The only way out for the Russians here is to withdraw warships to the Caspian Sea via inland waters.