NATO increases reconnaissance flights near Crimea

The Russian news agency analyzed data from Flightradar24, an unclassified flight information aggregator, and focused on flights that could be used to monitor the Russian peninsula. Since the spring, that number has increased from seven flights per week to 21.

While European members of the US-led military bloc have carried out some of the flights, Washington is the main operator of NATO surveillance aircraft in the Black Sea region. RIA noted that US planes and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as the RQ-4B Global Hawk, carried out 16 of the 21 flights last week.

The news comes amid debate in Russia over NATO’s role in facilitating Ukraine’s attack on Crimea. Kiev attacked a military shipyard in Sevastopol two weeks ago and the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in the same city last Friday.

Both operations used Storm Shadow missiles supplied by the UK. The US and its allies continued to provide intelligence to Ukraine as it attacked Russian targets. Information from Western partners “on radar, electronic warfare and air defence equipment” deployed by Russian forces helped Ukraine launch numerous suicide drone attacks deep inside Russia, including in Moscow, The Economist reported last month.

Mikhail Sheremet, a Russian lawmaker representing Crimea, has proposed targeting spy planes that are allegedly complicit in the Ukrainian attacks. “Strange things happened during or after (NATO) flights and I think it’s not a coincidence. The attacks by Ukrainian terrorists with UAVs and missiles began,” he said.

“I believe that all NATO military surveillance aircraft and strategic UAVs over the Black Sea should be considered legitimate targets. They should be destroyed or forced to land,” the lawmaker added.

The US has previously accused Russian military pilots of “harassing” UAVs flying in international airspace over the Black Sea. One notable incident in March saw a US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper crash. Washington said a pair of Russian Su-27 fighter jets dumped fuel on the spy drone, while one Su-27 allegedly cut off its propeller. Moscow claimed the UAV had entered a restricted flight zone designated by Russia and that the crash was caused by “sharp maneuvers” by its operator.

In light of the above situation, military analyst and Editor-in-Chief of the Russian Defense magazine Igor Korotchenko commented that the increasing frequency of NATO reconnaissance flights in the Black Sea region, including by UAVs, clearly shows that they are trying to locate Russian air defense systems in Crimea and other southern regions, and at the same time monitor the movements of the fleet and carry out planning attacks on targets on the peninsula, and at the same time, designate targets for Ukraine to attack the ships of the Black Sea Fleet.

Therefore, according to Mr. Igor Korotchenko, Russia's reasonable move in this situation is to establish a no-fly zone in the Black Sea region, where aircraft and UAVs are deployed to perform electronic reconnaissance missions, to either completely eliminate them or make it difficult to provide information and reconnaissance support to Ukraine from aircraft of the US and its allies./.