Marta Hychko12:44, 13.06.24

Previously, American operators did not allow the drone to approach so close to the Russian-controlled peninsula.

Global Hawk observed Ukraine’s attack on Crimea / UA Air Force

The reconnaissance drone of the US Air Force Global Hawk unprecedentedly approached the targets in Crimea , during massive Ukrainian strikes. At the same time, he flew to the coast of the peninsula in advance.

As the Kyiv Post writes, as a result of a rare flight, one of the Pentagon’s most powerful and most expensive reconnaissance drones was in the airspace near Russian-occupied territory at the same time that Ukrainian forces were striking targets.

Global Hawk watched the “cotton”

Analysis of open-source flight tracking data showed that the Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Global Hawk, callsign FORTE12, arrived in airspace southwest of Russia’s main military base in the Crimean city of Sevastopol at least three hours before Ukrainian strikes on targets on the peninsula. The drone stayed in the area for seven hours before returning to its base in Italy.

A high-tech scout packed with radar, direction-finding electronics, and multispectral sensors, the Global Hawk is the U.S.’s premier reconnaissance drone. American flight planners have repeatedly sent the planes over the Black Sea, but during past Ukrainian strikes, US air traffic controllers prevented the $200 million-plus plane from flying so close to Crimea during actual missile strikes from Kyiv.

Ukrainian attacks on Crimea

Powerful explosions that thundered at 2:47 a.m. on Wednesday were heard in the vicinity of Sevastopol, the Saka airfield near the village of Fedorivka, and the port city of Yevpatoria. The explosions lasted about 10 minutes and were caused by rockets.

The targets were Russian military facilities. According to some sources, these were airfields and airplanes, according to others – Russian air defense systems. About three kilometers south of the large military airfield, smoke with a strong smell of burning petroleum products was visible.

Some reports claim that at least one Kyiv missile damaged elements of Russia’s S-400 system, the Kremlin’s main air defense system, which is based near the Sevastopol airfield. Other reports indicate that the weapons used in the strikes were US-made ATACMS missiles, some with conventional warheads and at least one with a cluster warhead.

The second Ukrainian strike round appears to have targeted logistics or possibly transport infrastructure in northern Crimea. Explosions were reported in the Perekop Isthmus near the cities of Armyansk and the village of Krasnoperekopsk. Popular Russian blogger Volodymyr Rogov said that a “massive missile attack” was carried out at four locations, including an air defense facility near the Black Sea port.

A video appeared online showing at least six anti-aircraft missiles trying to intercept Kyiv’s missiles. At least two rockets detonated, possibly at the end of their flight.

The “governor” of Sevastopol, Mykhailo Razvozhaev, said in his statement that “all air targets” were destroyed in the air, and there was no damage to people or property. Local emergency response information platforms report the fall of rocket fragments that fell in the center of the city.

FORTE12 was unprecedentedly close

At the time of the Ukrainian strikes at 02:45 local time on Wednesday, FORTE12 was 190-200 kilometers from Sevastopol in international airspace. He was in the air for about 7 hours during a flight that lasted about 16 hours.

Since Russia’s first invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea in 2014, U.S. Air Force Intelligence commanders have directed Global Hawk patrols into the airspace over the Black Sea for years. Flights usually take place twice a week. A drone is almost never directed closer than 150 kilometers from Russian-controlled territory.

Russian military analysts have accused the Pentagon of using the flights to gather targeting information that is passed on to Kiev. In addition, the Russians claim that the Americans occasionally turn off the transponders to allow reconnaissance drones to more covertly monitor “Russian” territory. Representatives of the Air Force stated that the flights were not provocative and fully complied with the norms of international law.

On June 11-12, FORTE12 carried out a figure-of-eight patrol south of Crimea for about seven hours, and also approached the Russian city of Sochi. On the night of June 10-11, during which Kyiv launched an even more brutal series of strikes on Crimean targets, open-source trackers showed no US or allied military aircraft in the air. 

Consequences of blows

During the strikes from Monday to Tuesday, ATACMS missiles hit a military facility near the city of Yevpatoria, the Saka military airbase, the port of Chornomorske, and the city of Dzhankoy on the Perekop Isthmus, RFE/RL reports. The main goal was to damage or destroy the S-300 and S-400 air defense systems of the 31st Division of the Russian Air Force.

Independent Russian news agency ASTRA reported that at least two S-300 launchers and four radar search stations were destroyed in the attacks. Officials said the strikes caused no damage and all the missiles were shot down.

Kyiv Post also confirms, based on an analysis of open data and information from its own sources, that the Ukrainian strikes were effective and damaged Russian air defense capabilities in these locations.

The pro-Ukrainian Crimean military information platform “Crimean Wind” reported on Wednesday morning that the Russian military leadership ordered units of the Russian 12th Air Defense Regiment, subordinate to the 31st Division, to withdraw from Sevastopol to Yevpatoria and the Black Sea, where Ukrainian missiles hit. Photographs of high-value Russian systems show four missile launchers and two radar targeting vehicles moving north.

(C)UNIAN 2024