(AmericanProsperity.com) – The Russian armed forces deployed MiG-31 fighter jets at one of the main airfields in Crimea on October 19 to conduct patrolling operations in the Black Sea. Military experts believe this is a risky move as these jets could be targeted by long-range missiles from Ukraine.
According to an ABC News report, Ukraine’s armed forces have been using US-supplied long-range ATAMCS missiles, as US President Joe Biden approved the delivery of these missiles after months of negotiations. Moscow and Kyiv sources told the media outlet the Ukrainian military hit two Russian airbases in Ukraine’s southern region of Berdyansk and southeastern region of Luganks with these missiles.
Open-source intelligence (OSINT) analyst M.T. Anderson shared different satellite images he said he captured on October 15, which showed four MiG-31 fighter jets at a Russian airbase in Belbek in Sevastopol. On October 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a press conference that Russian aviation is equipped with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and announced that it will “permanently patrol” the Black Sea from now on. When asked about the reason behind this decision, the Russian leader told reporters this would allow the Kremlin to have more control of the Mediterranean.
While the Russian armed forces said in a statement that these fighter jets would carry the hypersonic Kinzhal missiles, military experts pointed out that US ATAMCS could easily destroy them if detected. During a press conference, Ukraine’s Air Force spokesperson Yuri Ignat said that Moscow used nearly 40 airfields in its invasion, and noted that the deployment of the MiG-31 fighter jets at Belbek wasn’t an unexpected move. He also said that the Ukrainian military will continue its airstrikes against the Russian airfields to eliminate Russian military presence in the country.
In a statement, British military intelligence said it believes that the Kremlin’s announcement of patrols, along with the fighter jets and the Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, is part of an old propaganda tactic. The agency explained that the Kremlin is trying to portray the West as the main aggressor and frame its military activities as inevitable and necessary actions to protect Russia.
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