by Lorenzo Cremonesi, sent to Kyiv
Oleg Zhdanov, former senior army officer: “The Neptunes are difficult to intercept, but we have few. In 3 or 4 days Moscow will unleash a barrage of fire”
“We have had notable success. Hitting with two Neptune missiles and practically knocking out the missile cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, means severely damaging Putin’s navy and the entire offensive apparatus against Ukraine,” argues 66yearold Oleg Zhdanov, a former senior officer before the Soviet Army, then Ukrainian, professor of military affairs, considered one of the most experienced commentators in Kyiv.
Can you give us the details of the operation?
“The ship was about 25 km off the coast of Odessa with over 500 sailors on board. We know that the two missiles were launched from a base near Odessa, they blew up the Santa Barbara and the ship has skidded, it seems to be sinking, but it will no longer be operational. The sea was rough at the moment, Turkish units were cruising not too far away and it seems they saved about fifty sailors, the others might be dead ».
What about the Neptunes?
“These missiles were only put into operation earlier this year, we have a limited number of them, they have a range of about 200 kilometers and a warhead capable of carrying 300 kilos of explosives. Our military industry produces them, developing an old Soviet model ».
Why weren’t they intercepted by the Russians?
«The Moskva was launched in 1982, then modified and updated in 2001, but it remains a discontinued model. Its defenses were not able to intercept the Neptune, very modern weapons that fly over the surface of the water ».
What do you think of the expected Russian offensive in Donbass?
«The new Russian commander, Alexander Dvornikov, will intensify the bombing of the cities, unsurprisingly they call him the ‘butcher of Syria’. They will also hit Kyiv with ballistic missiles, since the same Ministry of Defense in Moscow has announced that they intend to attack our decision centers. We arm ourselves with surfacetoair missiles. Our railroads, even far from the front, become possible targets”.
And on the bottom front?
«We are bombing the tank columns approaching Donbass, in the last few hours we have destroyed over 40 tanks and caterpillars moving between Kharkiv and Izium. We do the same in the area of Kherson and its airports, where we meet the reinforcements of the 22nd Russian Brigade arriving by air ».
And weapons from the US and England like the Javelin and Nlaw antitank missiles? “They fundamentally defended us, they are much superior to the Russians. In fact, we were able to prevent their control of our airspace, they now have fewer missiles and focus aviation only on short strikes in support of their ground forces. But now we are demanding the weapons needed to counterattack, such as tanks, armored vehicles, longrange guns, and jets. You can also send us old Russian tanks, we are able to modernize them in less than two weeks».
When does the second phase of the war begin?
“We think there will be heavy bombing within the next three or four days. Our intelligence says they’re ready now, assault formations are in position, they’re trying to encircle our troops east of Kramatorsk.
Is Mariupol lost?
“I can’t say they’re still fighting, they’re resisting. But if the Russians want to wait for the total fall of Mariupol before attacking, two or three weeks can pass. And in the meantime, we could already organize and together with the whole south of the country to counterattack, free Mariupol ».
Did the Russians use chemical weapons in Mariupol?
«We have no elements to answer. Maybe they used something unconventional to test the Western response.”
April 15, 2022 (Modification April 15, 2022 | 07:17)
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