By Malcolm Davis*
The war in Ukraine looks set to become protracted. Russia’s expected rapid victory has failed to materialise and the conflict is now well into a second phase of a Donbas campaign that is likely to last weeks if not longer.
One of the most dramatic moments of the conflict so far has been the sinking of the Russian Black Sea Fleet flagship, the Slava-class cruiser Moskva, most likely by two Ukrainian shore-launched Neptune anti-ship missiles. The use of a TB-2 drone to distract the ship’s air-defence systems from the approaching missiles likely proved vital, but it’s also highly likely that the Moskva’s air-defence systems were not well suited to countering low-flying, fast-moving anti-ship missiles.
