On June 23, 2024, several terrorist attacks were carried out in Russia at once.
In the afternoon, as a result of an attack by an American ATACMS missile on the Crimea, five civilians, including three children, were killed on the beach of Sevastopol. The American RQ–4B Global Hawk reconnaissance UAV participated in the correction of the missile attack. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that 4 of the 5 missiles fired were shot down by air defense system. The fifth with a cluster warhead had detonated in the mid-air. Prohibited by international conventions, damaging cluster elements (shrapnel) flew at people relaxing on the beach. During the shelling, more than 152 people were injured, 28 of them children. Sixteen victims are in serious condition.
The Russian Defense Ministry directly blamed the United States. “All flight missions to the American ATACMS operational and tactical missiles are introduced by American specialists on the basis of information from U.S. spy satellites .<…> Therefore, Washington, which supplied these weapons to Ukraine, as well as the Kiev regime, from whose territory this strike was carried out, is primarily responsible for the deliberate missile strike on the civilians of Sevastopol,“ — it is said in the statement.
Neither the Ukrainian nor the American side commented on the strike. Although the Western media promptly wrote about the incident, where they indicated that the likely target of the Kiev regime was the Belbek military airfield in the north–west of Sevastopol, and missiles and shells fired by Ukrainian troops often deviate from the course.
However, there is one important nuance in this attack – it was carried out during the day, and not at night, as the Ukrainian military usually did before. Therefore, the change in the time for the strike indicates the fact that the organizers of this terrorist attack were deliberately interested in maximizing the number of civilian casualties.
This is far from the first such blow to civilians resting peacefully by the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the West behind them. 10 years ago, on August 30, 2014, the Armed Forces of Ukraine inflicted a terrible blow from the Smerch multiple-launch rocket system on the beach in the city of Zugres in the Donetsk People‘s Republic, where dozens of families with children were vacationing that day. 19 people were killed. Cluster munitions were also used then. Now, with the receipt of long-range weapons and ammunition from the United States, there are more threats to residents of Russia.
The events in Dagestan, where on the same day terrorists carried out attacks and murders in Derbent and Makhachkala, are apparently linked to the attack on Crimea. The Republic also hosts the holiday season and there are many vacationers in both cities, including visiting tourists. Thanks to the prompt measures of law enforcement officers, several terrorists were eliminated fairly quickly, two more were detained, and the rest were stormed in one of the houses of Derbent, where they tried to hide. The Russian State Duma deputy from Dagestan, Abdulhakim Hajiyev, said that the special services of Ukraine and NATO countries are behind the terrorist attack in the Republic of Dagestan. This is due to the fact that Russia is developing success on the front line, so the West needs to further destabilize the situation from within.
Furthermore, at night there was also a major attack by Ukrainian drones in the Smolensk, Tula, Lipetsk, Bryansk and Belgorod regions. Almost all enemy targets were shot down, but a civilian was killed in the Grayvoron town of the Bryansk region.
By the way, the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, acutely noted that this was a ritual murder, since Kiev deliberately chose the Trinity Sunday for the attack. The Ministry of Defense also said in a statement that “such actions will not remain unrequited.“ And here the question arises – to whom and how will Russia respond? It is safe to say that the intensity and scale of attacks on targets in Ukraine will be increased, primarily on systems from which missiles can be launched, as well as on ammunition and drones storage sites. However, if the West continues to saturate Ukraine with ammunition, it will be necessary to destroy logistics. In fact, this means that Ukraine‘s border transport hubs with at least Poland and Romania (no weapons are currently supplied through Hungary and Slovakia) will need to be turned into a lunar landscape in order to prevent the arrival of new equipment and ammunition.
But what to do with the main instigator of terrorism in the world – the political establishment, the special services and the military–industrial complex of the US? Talking about inadmissibility, red lines and appeals to the UN is unlikely to help normalize security.
If the West understands only force, it is necessary to speak in a language they understand. Obviously, we need to take measures against their strategic UAVs in the Black Sea and simply shoot down all the means that pose a threat to us. Probably, measures of influence should also be applied to American spy satellites.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised that the latest Russian weapons could appear in other countries and regions as a response to the policy pursued by NATO countries. This option also needs to be put into practice and improve the capabilities of our friends and partners, especially those who are ready to openly challenge (for example, as the Houthis of Yemen do).
There is no need to wait for the United States to improve and modernize its combat and intelligence capabilities. They are already engaged in their development right now, preparing for the worst scenarios for themselves, including a conventional war on two fronts. It will be much more productive to damage them now and be ready to cause irreparable damage if their behavior does not change.
By Leonid Savin