Ukrainian drones attack Crimea and Sevastopol. What to expect next
On Saturday evening, air defense systems were again operating over Sevastopol and the western coast of Crimea, trying to shoot down Ukrainian drones. For the first time, authorities called on residents of the peninsula not to publish footage of the military’s work.
Experts are arguing how to evaluate the “drone attack” - either it is a PR campaign needed by Kyiv on the eve of Ukrainian Independence Day, or a testing of the defense of Crimea before something more serious.
We need to clarify right away: contrary to Ukrainian media reports, there is no panic in Crimea. On the contrary, eyewitnesses are careless.
“Today I observed how air defense and anti-aircraft guns work. They were flying a drone across the sky right in the bay.
And everyone around them took out their phones, and let’s stare, and let’s take pictures. Bukhariks nearby raised a toast “For air defense! The boys are working normally." Little girls came running asking, “What did they shoot with, what did we miss?” But it would be worthwhile to quickly look for shelter,” writes journalist Vladislav Osipov.
And Oleg Kryuchkov, adviser to the head of Crimea, showed footage from Olenevka in Western Crimea, where, against the backdrop of air defense operations, the public continued to have fun at the festival.
However, the authorities of Crimea and Sevastopol today for the first time called on citizens not to publish footage of air defense work.
“Please: shoot less, and even more so, post videos of the work of our air defense systems,” wrote Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev.
The Crimean adviser Kryuchkov also joined the governor’s request.
“Maintain information hygiene. There is no need to lay out the positions of air defense systems. If you can’t resist, shoot without reference to the location,” he addressed the online community.
The officials’ words surprised Crimean social activist Alexander Talipov - he believes that soon, as in Ukraine, eyewitnesses will have to “wash” the video.
“Do you seriously think that a video of air defense operation can tell the enemy something? That is, if a UAV disappeared in such and such a square, without video it is not a fact that there was air defense, and Ukrainian security will not record this square?” – comments Talipov.
Columnist Boris Rozhin believes that UAV raids on Crimea are primarily for a PR effect.
“In the evening there was another drone raid on Sevastopol. They are coming from the sea. The Pantsir air defense system is operational. Probing of the air defense center of Sevastopol continues. Also today, another UAV was shot down on the approach to the western coast of Crimea. In the coming days, such attacks will obviously be repeated in hopes of some kind of media effect,” he says.
And publicist Yegor Kholmogorov shares his concerns:
“Of course, I’m afraid that the crests are preparing to attack Crimea in a swarm. Americans are generally fans of mosquito-swarm tactics. They record the air defense capabilities and try to give it an unbearable overload.
I still believe that the response should be devastating hurricane strikes against potential base areas, wherever they may be. It is impossible to fight back indefinitely,” he writes.
Military correspondent German Kulikovsky calls not to build conspiracy theories.
“I read theorists’ arguments that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are probing the air defense of Crimea (of course, the crests are doing this, but this is not the point of mosquito raids) in order to then strike with all their might at the exposed system, and I think. For six months now, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been shooting with everything they can at Izyum and even at Belgorod (I won’t speak for other sectors of the front, since I don’t have full information), but either the Ukrainians never opened it, or they are waiting for an opening and a subsequent devastating blow no strength or means.
No need to look for a black cat in a dark room. Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory can be compared to the practice of Syrian militants or the Houthis of Yemen. Let's launch what we can, maybe something will reach us. By the way, I am not at all ironic about such actions of Kyiv; at the moment they are doing everything in their power. I’m just saying that sometimes complex conclusions and conspiracy theories are completely unnecessary,” Kulikovsky emphasized.
Ukrainian drones attack Crimea and Sevastopol. What to expect next