Crimea blasts point to gain in Ukrainian army’s power - Zgurets 

We will talk about the explosions in Crimea, USD 1 billion in military aid from the US, and how Ukraine uses anti-radar missiles.

Explosions in Crimea

Today there were explosions at the military airfield in Novofedorivka in the Saki district of the peninsula occupied by Russia. According to eyewitnesses, 7 to 10 explosions rang out near the military unit and several ambulances went to the scene. The power of the explosions was such that at a distance of 20 km from Novofedorivka, windows flew out and alarms in cars went off. There were traffic jams at the exit from Novofedorivka, because tourists left the villages in a hurry. In this zone of Crimea, there is an airfield near the city of Saki, where the 43rd Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Russian Air Force is based, which mainly consists of Su-30SM, Su-33 fighters and Su-24M bombers. This base was used for attacks on the territory of Ukraine, in particular, in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.  The airfield was protected by Russian S-400 systems, none of which we saw in this situation. In addition, near Novofedorivka is the famous Nytka training ground - it is a training ground used for the training of pilots who take off and land on aircraft carriers. This is a unique training ground, which was occupied by the Russians on our land. There were also warehouses with ammunition near the resort towns of Saki and Novofedorivka.

Photos and videos show sufficiently powerful explosions, which leads us to the conclusion of significant hits, although the Russian Ministry of Defense associates this with the detonation of several aviation munitions or a fire during fuel loading, but we are convinced of something completely different. For now, we are putting forward versions until the real reasons for these effective strikes on the territory occupied by the Russian Federation become clear.

 If we talk about the technical side of the matter, what could be used to target the objects, then the distance from Novofedorivka in the Crimea to the nearest positions of the Armed Forces in the Kherson region is about 200 km. HIMARS have a range of 80 km, operational tactical complex Tochka-U has a range of 120 km, perhaps we can talk about improved versions of Vilkha-M, which also has a range of 120 km, but this is not enough to overcome such a distance.

Experts say that Ukraine could optimally use long-range American ATACMS missiles for an attack. They have a range of up to 300 km, but no such weapon was announced in any package. On the other hand, there are examples when weapons from partners are used, and later we learn that we actually received such a boost to our arsenals.

Today there was an equally interesting hit in the ammunition warehouse in Henichesk. The distance from our positions to the warehouse is about 170 km. And these facts lead us to the conclusion that the Ukrainian army has the ability to destroy objects at a considerable distance.

We will wait for official announcements, if they come from the Ukrainian side. In any case, this is an extremely symbolic step, which suggests that such a decision could be made by the high military-political leadership of the country. I agree with the military expert who said that the attack on the targets in Novofedorivka can be put in the same row as the sinking of the cruiser Moskva. On the example of this history, the powers of the Ukrainian army in Crimea have increased significantly.

New package of military aid from US

America announced a package of USD 1 billion, which includes largely missile and ammunition components. These are the HIMARS and NASAMS munitions we expect.  A representative of the US Department of Defense announced that anti-radar missiles were handed over to Ukraine. Focusing on HIMARS and NASAMS, I will say that the US Deputy Secretary of Defense Colin Kahl noted that the number of HIMARS that the Armed Forces have is quite sufficient and emphasis should be placed on obtaining long-range missiles that allow the destruction of enemy targets, it is the amount of ammunition that determines the effectiveness of the use of systems on the battlefield.

Let's return to the details of this plan - it is the transfer of anti-radar missiles to Ukraine. Previously, we were sure that these were HIMARS with new homing warheads, which were used to strike Russian air defense systems.

The situation is changing and there is confirmation that HARM radar missiles, which have been transferred to Ukraine, according to the US Deputy Secretary of Defense, can be used from Ukrainian aircraft. And this is an interesting fact, because previously such missiles could be used only from foreign-made aircraft.

Victory will be ours! It is important for us to use technological advantages on the battlefield as a fundamental element of the current war.