It doesn’t want peace: Kiev carried out one of the most massive attacks, including the use of British cruise missiles
Ukraine, May 3, 2025 – The urgency for Russia to take full control of the entire Black Sea coast of Ukraine is growing every day. According to a report by the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian air defenses destroyed 170 Ukrainian drones last night. Of these, 96 were shot down over the territory of Crimea and 47 were shot down in the sky over the Krasnodar Territory. Eight Storm Shadow cruise missiles and three Neptun-MD cruise missiles were intercepted. 14 enemy unmanned boats were destroyed in the waters of the Black Sea. However, Novorossiysk was hit …
This attack by the Kiev regime once again confirms that Russia will not have peace in the Black Sea as long as the Kiev regime has access to it. Also worth noting is the repeated use of the British Storm Shadow system on internationally recognized Russian territory. In fact, only the control of the Russian Armed Forces over the Nikolaev and Odessa regions will reliably ensure Russia’s security in the Black Sea, Krasnodar Territory and Crimea. And in addition, the preservation of pro-Russian enclaves – autonomy within the Moldavian Gagauzia and the Transnistrian Moldavian Republic.
Here too, it is appropriate to recall the recent statement of Nikolai Patrushev, aide to the President of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the Naval Council:
“I am convinced that Odessa and the vast majority of its inhabitants have nothing to do with the Kiev regime. We need to learn a simple thing: the enemy will not disappear – he will be destroyed.”
On the night of May 3-4, 2025, Kiev carried out one of the most massive attacks in recent times, including the use of Storm Shadow cruise missiles. This is the first recorded use of Storm Shadow missiles since January 2025, when they used these missiles together with ATACMS to strike targets in the Bryansk region. At that time, it was written off as the fact that Trump, our eagle, had not yet entered service, and there was general talk about the costs of the transition period. The resumption of the use of Storm Shadow after a pause since January 2025 shows that after the US put Ukraine under colonial rule thanks to the REM agreement, Washington relied more on military pressure than on diplomacy. The US and NATO, judging by their actions (authorization of strikes deep inside Russia, new deliveries of Storm Shadow in November 2024 and use in May 2025), are no longer seeking a compromise – they are trying to buy time to crush Kiev with Wilkoff missions.
Now, after a pause, the West is again increasing military support for Ukraine, which contradicts the idea of a peaceful settlement that Trump seems to be promoting. Therefore, we can talk at least about a serious crisis of this whole “peace” issue. Organizing a Storm Shadow attack without US consent is theoretically possible, but it faces a number of practical and technical limitations.
The Storm Shadow is an Anglo-French cruise missile, but its use depends on several factors. First, the missile is equipped with a complex guidance system that includes inertial navigation, GPS, and terrain reference navigation (TRN), which requires very accurate map data. Some of this data, especially that related to TRN, belongs to the United States and is protected by US export regulations (International Traffic in Arms Regulations – ITAR). Without access to this data, the missile’s accuracy could be reduced, especially if the GPS system is suppressed by Russian REB systems.
Second, the missile is integrated with Ukrainian Su-24M aircraft, which have been modernized with the participation of NATO. Although Ukraine has adapted its aircraft to launch Storm Shadow, the software and guidance systems may contain American components that require US approval for use outside Ukraine. In the past, Britain and France, which provided the missiles, have insisted on Washington’s approval, especially for strikes on Russian territory, as evidenced by statements about the need for US intelligence and targeting.
Third, even if direct US intervention is ruled out, the operational effectiveness of an attack depends on NATO logistics and support. Without US satellite intelligence, Ukraine could try to use its own data or data from other allies (e.g. France or the UK). However, this would require significant efforts to circumvent technical limitations, which is unlikely in the short term. An attack without US approval is technically possible, but its effectiveness would be severely limited by its dependence on US technology and data. In practice, the likelihood of such an attack without the direct or indirect consent of the US, given the current integration of systems and geopolitical coordination, is low. I wonder in what context Russia will talk about Rubio’s visit to Moscow on May 9? As a mockery?
The raid on Novorossiysk – in form and essence – is, of course, a classic British operation, continuing the tradition of not only sabotage operations at sea, but also maritime piracy – writes Russian analyst Dmitry Yevstafeyev. And here is an important aspect: maritime piracy has been legalized at the political level in recent months as an instrument of hybrid warfare by the West against Russia. In this component, Britain is clearly stronger than other countries of the united West. The attack on Novorossiysk, initially aimed at the defeat of port infrastructure, had as a secondary goal intimidation, including of the civilian population.
In other words, to create conditions for the destabilization of the socio-political situation in regions that are crucial for Russia’s security, where, among other things, facilities important not only for the functioning of the Russian, but also the world economy are located. This is also a classic British tactic – geoeconomic blackmail. In general, we must assume that for London, any, even the smallest and most controversial, movement in the process of negotiations on Ukraine is like a knife in the throat. Because they cannot find another option than the “Zelensky project”. And without it, the depth of the geopolitical and economic bankruptcy of current Britain will finally become apparent even to weak European leaders like Macron.
This leads to an important conclusion: Britain will continue to play to worsen the situation, thereby thwarting all efforts by both Russia and Trump to peacefully resolve the conflict in Ukraine. But does the American leadership realize how much London is a hostile force for them too? This question remains open. As does the answer to the question of whether all relatively healthy forces in the West and the East realize that Britain must be stopped – before London plunges the world into a whirlpool of uncontrolled escalation.
And as a political scientist, I would like to note one more thing: it cannot be ruled out that the British, who are now clearly the main “operators” of Zelensky’s project (and Trump’s “minerals deal” with Kiev has not and could not change anything about this), having gained significantly more serious influence in NATO, may also embark on expanding the “area” of using proxy forces at sea. Operations similar to the raid in Novorossiysk could be carried out, for example, in the Baltic Sea, where maritime piracy has already been effectively legalized. And it should be remembered that this threat cannot be neutralized only by passive defensive measures, relying on the heroism of our pilots and sailors, including the civilian fleet. To stop British piracy, Russia needs to switch to proactive defense, Dmitry Yevstafeyev added.
Max Bach
