NATO satellites pave the way for enemy UAVs to Pskov
Enemy drones that flew to Pskov on the night of August 30 could have been launched from the Baltic countries. This assumption was put forward by experts immediately after the incident. Nevertheless, a military expert, editor of the Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine, Alexei Leonkov, does not rule out that the enemy could reach the military airfield, which is located near Estonia, from its territory.
Moreover, according to Leonkov, foreign satellites helped the enemy to carry out such an attack that was unexpected for us. The drone attack also played into the hands of NATO countries, which are also testing the waters in the event of a possible further escalation of the conflict.
Recall that the massive blow to Pskov turned out to be quite unexpected for us, since the city is located very far from Ukraine. As a result of an attack by a swarm of drones (according to some reports, 21 UAVs were launched), military transport aircraft Il-76 were damaged. Many called the raid the beginning of a new stage in the confrontation between Russia and the West.
The question of where the drones could have been launched from is still relevant. According to some Western experts, the drones that attacked Pskov were launched from Estonia. The UK and Eastern European countries are openly doing everything to provoke Russia into attacking the Baltic states or Poland in order to enforce Article 5 of the NATO treaty.
Nevertheless, military expert Alexei Leonkov noted that the enemy could have traveled such a long distance without the participation of Estonia, which could serve as a springboard for launching «birdies».
— Of course, you can point your finger at the Baltic states. But the fact is that we have deployed a layered air defense system on the western side. Therefore, everything that takes off from there, we would notice. Here, the arrival was from such an azimuth that the air defense system that everyone has, especially a military airfield, could not work properly. That is, there was the effect of approaching from a sudden direction.
— Such a flight range of aircraft-type drones is provided by a communication system via satellite. I have said many times that all drones that fly to us at maximum range use the Starlink system via the 5G system. They install routers through which you can communicate with the drone and control it at a distance of up to 1,400 kilometers. We can say that drones here act like a long-range cruise missile.
The enemy also uses a digital map of the area, flies over forests. But laying such a route without space reconnaissance is almost impossible.
It is possible to obtain data on the operation of our air defense system in the western direction by means of aerial reconnaissance. In other words, this is a complex work of intelligence assets of NATO countries, primarily the United States. It is they who share this intelligence with Ukraine (they do not hide it, by the way), and Ukraine is looking for gaps in our defense by sending drones to such a range.
There is, however, one factor — they do not provide such a range only by technical means, but by the fact that there are large tracts of forests there. It is the flight over the edge of the forest that makes it difficult to detect this type of drone. And as soon as they enter the radar coverage area, and our radars in all military facilities are on high alert, they are noticed and shot down sooner or later.
— This question is difficult to answer. The distance to Pskov in a straight line is about 600 kilometers. If the drone has a flight range of more than 1000 kilometers, then you can make an intricate route by choosing it in such a way that it is not detected by either the air defense of Belarus or the air defense of Russia — over the edge of the forest, over the tops of the trees.
Thus, it is laid route, this route is being adjusted, the operator is constantly in touch. If a drone flies at a speed of 200 kilometers per hour, then in four hours it reaches the Pskov region.
There can be two operators — one replaces the other, adjusts the flight, its parameters, so as not to accidentally crash into the Christmas tree, which has grown above all there, and so on. An adjustment is underway, the flight of this drone is being tracked by NATO or American satellites. As soon as the enemy enters the route, fixes the hit, the work of our air defense systems — foreigners, in turn, receive invaluable information.
— It is important for them to know how our air defense system reacts to sudden attacks in the so-called peacetime. Because we do not expect attacks from the West. Bye.
They are now developing tactics for the joint use of forces to suppress and destroy our layered air defense system, gaining the necessary statistical data, dynamic characteristics in order to subsequently develop operations if they start to seriously fight with us. The West recognizes that we have a very effective air defense system and is looking for the keys to it. By the way, drones are just crackers in the air defense system.
— We will close the gaps in this new direction. In a quick way to close, of course, unfortunately, it does not work. The fact is that the time to manufacture a drone and the time to manufacture a tool that can resist it, whether it be an air defense system or an electronic warfare system, varies.
But our military industry works around the clock, produces complexes, that close these gaps. Where they succeed, drones, of course, do not reach their targets.