Expert Knutov: “Electromagnetic guns will help save Crimea from terrorist attacks from the air”

The peninsula is well protected from external attack, but vulnerable to sabotage

Ukraine is trying to strike at Russia’s critical infrastructure. Tonight, an unmanned aerial vehicle of the Armed Forces of Ukraine made an attempt to attack a thermal power plant in the Crimea, but did not achieve much success. As a result of the attack on the station, one of the transformers, which is being repaired, caught fire. By now it has been extinguished. Moskovsky Komsomolets wondered how perfect the protection of the peninsula from drones is.

The power supply in the city and on the peninsula is not damaged, there is light in apartments and enterprises. According to the governor of Sevastopol Razvozzhaev, the fire at the thermal power plant was extinguished by the station’s employees even before the emergency departments arrived at the facility.

There were no casualties, and the station continues its work. The head of Sevastopol stressed that a lot of damage was avoided due to the fact that security measures to protect the station were taken in advance. A large role in this was played by means of radar protection – they managed to confuse the UAV and “knock” it off the trajectory.

This is not the first time Ukraine has tried to damage facilities in Crimea with drones. On October 19, air defense systems eliminated an enemy drone that was moving in the Sevastopol area towards the Belbek airfield. Its wreckage fell on a private house, provoking a fire, but there were no casualties.

About how protected the peninsula is now, he shared his opinion with MK military expert, director of the Museum of Air Defense Forces Yuri Knutov

“We now have a whole bunch of protective systems,” says the expert. – It consists of the S-300, S-400, Pantsir, TOR complexes, as well as systems on the ships of our Black Sea Fleet, which are able to hit drones. In addition, electronic warfare systems are used, so our arsenal is now quite serious, and it can be used to combat drones.”

According to Knutov, the problem is now different. “On the territory of Crimea, most likely, there are “sleeping” DRGs, which may have small UAVs in their arsenal, used to commit sabotage and provocations. With this, everything is more complicated, because it is already inside the Crimea, and not beyond its borders. To cover the most important objects here, you can use electromagnetic guns that we produce, or MANPADS. It all depends on which drone is being used,” he says.

How do electronic warfare systems work?

– They are different. The electromagnetic pulse suppresses either the enemy or his control channels. If necessary, it can even burn out microcircuits, but often the UAV simply turns around and flies back to the launch site, but in any case stops performing tasks.

Currently, in the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, there is a “yellow level” of terrorist danger – this time it has been extended until November 7, 2022. Flights to Crimea are temporarily not operated, the timing of the opening of airspace is unknown.