Strongest storm in 160 years 'tearing apart' Russia's steel defense line in Crimea

Bão mạnh nhất trong 160 năm xé rách phòng tuyến thép của Nga ở Crimea - 1

Bão mạnh nhất trong 160 năm xé rách phòng tuyến thép của Nga ở Crimea - 2

Images of Sevastopol port before and after the strongest storm in 160 years hit Crimea (Photo: Planet Labs).

According to satellite images posted by The Drive , Russia's defense system at its Black Sea naval base was significantly damaged after a storm earlier this week.

Observers say this could be an opportunity for Ukraine to carry out suicide boat attacks, as Russia's key military facilities are facing great risks due to a lack of essential protection.

The Drive published satellite images of the port of Sevastopol before and after the storm, taken by Planet Labs. The images show that Russia's sea barriers have appeared with large holes.

Sevastopol is where Russia's Black Sea Fleet is based. The photos show that Russia's sea defenses appear to be more rudimentary than they were earlier this month, before the storm swept across the peninsula.

Roman Vilfand, scientific adviser to the Russian Meteorological Office, said it was the strongest storm to hit the region in 160 years. The meteorologist said wind speeds reached 40 meters per second (144 kilometers per hour). Hundreds of thousands of people were left without power because of the disaster.

The Crimean peninsula also recorded large and high waves, leading to damage to sea defense lines.

Earlier, images from the scene showed that the coastal defense lines in Crimea were also destroyed. These were defense lines that Russia built to prevent enemy commandos from landing.

Crimean officials have declared a state of emergency after the storm swept through. At least one person has died and flooding has also occurred across the peninsula.

It is not yet clear how long it will take Russia to repair these land and sea barriers.

Sevastopol has been the target of recent Ukrainian attacks using drones and suicide boats, a development that appears to have forced Moscow to move some of its warships further away.

Basil Germond, a maritime security expert at Britain's Lancaster University, said the move showed that Russia appeared to have lost its absolute dominance in the Black Sea.

In September, Ukraine launched an airstrike on the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet. Ukraine then continued to fire on and damage several Russian ships. Ukraine also deployed suicide boats to attack the Black Sea Fleet earlier this month, hitting two Russian ships.

On the other hand, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukraine's offensive campaign against Russian weapons and military equipment in Crimea has "weakened" Moscow's Black Sea Fleet but has not been able to defeat this force.

According to ISW, the Russian Black Sea Fleet still possesses a series of weapons that can attack Ukrainian targets in the next phase of the conflict and this is still a powerful force.

The Black Sea Fleet may sound like a collection of naval weapons, but it is actually a much larger formation, combining many types of military equipment such as surface-to-surface missile complexes, coastal missiles, air defense shields, and even marines, ISW explains.

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