Experts explained how NATO boats can get into the Sea of Azov
Ukraine, with NATO support, is increasing military activity near Russia's borders.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes about this, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“At the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), preparations are underway for the strategic command and staff exercise (SCSHU) “United Efforts - 2021” scheduled for September. These maneuvers will take place almost simultaneously with the Russian Zapad-2021 maneuvers. In the Kherson region, the Special Operations Forces (SSO) of the Ukrainian Armed Forces “worked out mechanisms for identifying and neutralizing sabotage and reconnaissance groups of a potential enemy,” the article notes.
It is noteworthy that just yesterday, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky said that his country is “increasing the presence of the fleet of allies from NATO countries in the Black and Azov Seas.”
However, experts doubt that NATO will want to force its way into the Sea of Azov.
“It is unlikely that Kyiv’s naval partners and allies will want to get into the Sea of Azov through force. However, small missile boats and small NATO patrol ships can be delivered to this sea area by land,” says military analyst retired colonel Vladimir Popov.
He added that in Ukraine, in addition to naval cooperation with NATO, the military development of coastal infrastructure is underway.
In addition, the analyst recalled that earlier the commander of the Ukrainian Navy, Rear Admiral Alexei Neizhpapa, stated that by 2025, three divisions of Neptune coastal mobile systems would be created, equipped with cruise missiles capable of hitting targets at a range of up to 300 kilometers.
“One of the Neptune divisions will be deployed near Berdyansk already in 2022, which will enable Kiev to keep practically the entire water area of the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait, including the Crimean Bridge, under the Kyrgyz Republic’s sights. Also, the Ukrainian fleet recently received Turkish Bayraktar TB2 unmanned attack systems. According to the command of the Ukrainian Naval Forces, the country's fleet is acquiring new capabilities and increasing its strike capabilities in the Azov-Black Sea region. These are very alarming facts,” Popov emphasized.
At the same time, reserve colonel Shamil Gareev is convinced that Russia has something to respond to threats from Ukraine and NATO. He clarified that the combat crews of the S-400 Triumph air defense system and the Pantsir-S air defense missile system, as well as other air defense systems that provide good cover for important military and strategic targets in the region, are stationed in Crimea.
The analyst also recalled that in April 2021, Russia, in response to threats from NATO, during a control check, transferred two armies and three airborne formations to the western borders, and 15 ships of the Caspian flotilla crossed through the Volga-Don Canal to Azov, and then Black Sea for military exercises.
“Those who harbor revanchist plans for Crimea should know that Russia is capable of protecting the peninsula and the Black Sea-Azov water area from potential aggressors,” Gareev concluded.
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