The past explosions in Crimea seem to be having an effect on the Kremlin. According to a confidential NATO report, Moscow is relocating its fighter jets for fear of new detonations. Moscow apparently concentrates many machines near Sevastopol.
After several explosions in Crimea, Russia is relocating its fighter jets, according to a media report. As “Business Insider” reports, citing a NATO secret document dated August 22, Moscow has already withdrawn ten aircraft from the annexed peninsula towards the Russian mainland in order to avoid further losses. Accordingly, there are six SU-35S fighter jets and four MiG-31BM interceptors.
Despite the restructuring, Crimea’s Belbek airfield near Sevastopol will remain “Russia’s most important airfield for providing air support in southern Ukraine and over the Black Sea,” Business Insider quoted the report as saying. About 32 combat aircraft are still stationed there. The majority are said to be SU-27 fighter pilots. But a small number of modern SU-35S multi-role fighters and MiG-31BMs are also stationed at the base.
The Kremlin’s military planners have also increased the number of surface-to-air missiles in Crimea to ward off further attacks. However, it is said that the Ukrainian drones are difficult for the Russian air defense to detect. “A problem that runs through the entire force that Russia deploys in Ukraine.”
Last week, the Ukrainian secret service reported that the Russian air force was trying to bring fighter jets and helicopters to safety in Crimea. The machines would be transferred to the interior of the peninsula or relocated to the Russian mainland. The information cannot be independently verified.
At the beginning of August, explosions shook the Russian Crimean base in Saki. According to satellite images, at least seven military aircraft were destroyed. This was followed by detonations in an ammunition depot near Dschankoy and at the Gvardeyskoye air base. Kyiv has not yet taken responsibility for the explosions. However, observers suspect that these are targeted military strikes by Ukraine.