From: Jason Jay Smart — In a massive escalation of the air war, Ukraine has struck two critical pillars of Russia’s military power. While the world watched Moscow launch a record breaking swarm of drones against Kyiv, Ukrainian intelligence and special operations units quietly dismantled the eyes of the Russian air defense network in occupied Crimea. The elite Prymary unit successfully destroyed key radar systems linked to Russia’s S-400 network, including the sophisticated Nebo-U and P-18 Terek radars. These sites were essential for surveillance of the Black Sea and protected the peninsula from incoming threats. Their loss leaves wide gaps in Russian radar coverage and exposes the Black Sea Fleet and military airfields to further devastating attacks.
At the same time, Ukrainian drones penetrated deep into Russian territory to hit the Beriev aviation plant in Taganrog. This facility is not only the hub for Russia’s 270-million-dollar modernization of Tu-95 strategic bombers but also housed one of Russia’s ultra-rare A 60 airborne laser aircraft. The A-60 was a secret Soviet era project built to target satellites and blind advanced sensors. Only two were ever produced. Updated assessments now indicate that the Taganrog aircraft has been destroyed in the strike. This attack removes a unique technological asset that Russia cannot quickly replace due to sanctions and a lack of specialized components.
Russia responded with a chaotic barrage of more than four hundred sixty Shahed type drones and twenty two missiles aimed at Kyiv and other cities. Several of these drones crossed into Moldova and NATO member Romania, forcing Allied jets to scramble. However, these large scale strikes are draining Russia’s stockpiles and forcing it to rely on foreign suppliers like Iran and North Korea. This comes at a time when Russia’s economic engine is stalling, with oil and gas revenues projected to fall by thirty five percent this month alone.
This video explains how Ukraine opened holes in Russia’s sky defenses, how the laser plane loss affects Russia’s long range capabilities, and why Moscow’s air war is becoming economically impossible to sustain.
Voice of Ukraine 