The attacks of Ukrainian drones on targets deep inside Russia in recent days have been downplayed by influential Russian commentators, some of whom point to a US hand in the offensive.
In the program “Grande Jogo”, broadcast on Tuesday evening by the First Channel (state), Alexei Leonkov, a military expert and editor of the Arsenal da Pátria magazine, stated that the drones [aeronaves não-tripuladas] used by the armed forces of Ukraine “were conceived in Soviet times as explorers of the enemy camp, now converted to medium-range missiles”🇧🇷
According to the same specialist, the actions of the Ukrainians are yesterday and Monday “are intended to divert attention from the battlefront and drag the media into secondary events that do not affect the course of the war”🇧🇷
On the same program, Andrei Klintsevitch, director of the Center for the Study of Military and Political Conflicts, identified US influence in Monday and Tuesday’s attacks on military installations in the heart of Russia, one of which is several hundred miles away. . from the capital Moscow.
“No army has an unbroken anti-aircraft line. Therefore, using the capabilities of their satellites, US specialists calculated the flight plans of Ukrainian drones so that they evaded Russian defense units. The drones were only practically neutralized over the targets they intended to hit “said Klintsevitch on the panel of experts, which usually closely aligns with the Kremlin’s views.
Klintsevich went on to say that “British military sites, even more than the North American ones, are very active and provide strategic recommendations to the Ukrainians, indicating how to develop offensive operations”🇧🇷
For the commentator, “another diversionary tactic” by Ukraine was the partial destruction two months ago of the Crimean Bridge, which connects Russia to the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russian forces in 2014.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian forces launched a drone strike against military installations in the cities of Sevastopol and Kursk, and according to Russian authorities, they were destroyed before reaching the targets.
Kursk governor Roman Starovoit said no casualties had been reported and the fire had been brought under control.
The day before, Ukrainian drones targeted the Russian military airfields of Enguels, in the Saratov region, and Diaguilevo, in the Ryazan district, about 200 kilometers from Moscow.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation confirmed that three soldiers were killed and four others injured in these attacks.
“The drones, flying at low altitude, were intercepted by our defense units. Their debris slightly damaged the fuselage of two military aircraft”according to the same source.
Viatcheslav Nikonov, host of the “Great Game” program, believed that the drones launched against Russian targets on Monday were nothing more than “fireworks” in connection with the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on Monday.
According to the daily newspaper “Kommersant”, the projectiles used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be “TU-141 drones built in the Soviet Union in the 1960s”.
U.S. experts believe Ukraine entered Russian airspace with Soviet-era drones, but not with resources gained from billions of dollars in military aid provided by Western powers since Russia invaded Ukrainian territory on Feb. 22.
On Tuesday, the United States said it “does not encourage or assist Ukraine” in launching attacks against Russia.
“Everything we do, everything the world does to support Ukraine is to support Ukrainian independence”added US diplomacy spokesman Ned Price.
Price, however, was careful not to blame the recent drone strikes on Kiev, which has not claimed responsibility.
“We are giving Ukraine what it needs to confront the Russian aggressor on its sovereign territory – on Ukrainian soil.”said Ned Price.
The spokesman declined to comment on information from the Wall Street Journal, according to which the United States had modified HIMARS, high-powered and advanced artillery systems destined for Ukraine, to prevent them from being used to attack Russia.
US President Joe Biden has said publicly that he is not encouraging Ukraine to acquire long-range missiles, fearing an escalation that could lead the Americans to take a more direct role against Russia.
Source: DN
