Ukraine's successful attacks on Crimea have led to the loss of the ability of Russian air defence to effectively cover the occupied peninsula.
What is known about the deterioration of the ability of Russian air defence to cover Crimea
British intelligence assessed the latest strikes on the objects of the occupiers in Crimea, which were carried out by Ukraine. So, on May 14, as a result of the attack, elements of the C-400 battery at the Crimean Belbek airfield, including the radar and launchers, were destroyed. Also, at least two MiG-31 aircraft were destroyed on the ground.
This is the fourth time in the last month that Russia has lost its air defence equipment.
Also earlier, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) carried out successful attacks on the radar station on Mount Ai-Petri, as well as on the Dzhankoi airfield.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine — 18 May 2024.
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These actions of Ukrainian defenders lead to deterioration of Russia's ability to protect the airspace around Crimea. Intelligence suggests that the Russian Federation will be forced to disperse air assets or risk the loss of a larger number of aircraft or redeploy air defence assets from other directions.
In addition, due to the dispersion of A-50 long-range reconnaissance aircraft, the occupiers will have to increase the number of flight hours and the frequency of fighter sorties. This, in turn, will lead to increased maintenance problems for their aircraft.
What is known about the attack on Crimea on May 15
As a reminder, on the night of 15 May, explosions were heard in Sevastopol, in particular, in the area of the Belbek airfield. The Russian Ministry of Defence said that Crimea was allegedly attacked by Topol missiles. Shoigu said that all 10 missiles were shot down.
Later, the network showed footage of a hit in the area of the Belbek military airfield, satellite images confirmed that there was a fire there.
