Putin Orders Air Patrols Over the Black Sea to Carry 'Kinzhal' Missiles

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that Russian forces would commence regular patrols in the neutral airspace over the Black Sea with planes equipped with “Kinzhal” hypersonic air-launched ballistic missiles.

“I have ordered the Russian Aerospace Forces to initiate permanent patrols in the neutral zone of the Black Sea airspace,” the Russian president stated during a media briefing on Wednesday.

He also specified that these patrols would be conducted by Russian MiG-31 aircraft carrying the “Kinzhal”system that boasts a range of over 1,000 km.

Against this backdrop, it is worth noting that in September, the Ukrainian Armed Forces conducted a series of effective strikes on Russian installations in occupied Crimea.

The strikes resulted in the destruction of the large landing ship “Minsk” and the submarine “Rostov-on-Don,” on Sept. 13 as well as substantial damage to the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol nine days later.

Consequently, Russian forces began relocating their vessels from the bay in occupied Sevastopol.

The British Ministry of Defense emphasized that following these recent losses, the Black Sea Fleet of Russia had lost the capacity to effectively enforce a naval blockade of Ukraine.

According to British intelligence, the major strikes against the Russian fleet, including the destruction of its headquarters, were notably more devastating and coordinated than any previous events in the ongoing war.

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The Kremlin defended the policy changes as a necessary response to perceived “Western threats,” where the use of Western non-nuclear missiles can potentially lead to Moscow’s nuclear response.

British military experts also suggested that, although the Russian fleet could still conduct security patrols along the Russian coast and launch missiles at Ukraine, its ability to continue broader regional security operations and effectively blockade Ukrainian ports would likely be diminished.

Additionally, the British Ministry of Defense speculated that Russia might be encountering challenges in safeguarding its critical facilities in ports and carrying out routine ship maintenance.

In October, Ukraine confirmed that it targeted two Russian Black Sea naval ships through a joint operation conducted by the navy and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) using “experimental weaponry.” According to a source within the SBU speaking to the Kyiv Post, the missile carrier Buyan was attacked on Oct. 13, having struck the Pavel Derzhavin corvette two days earlier.