Drone Threat to M-4 Don Highway Raises Crimea Risks
Military correspondent Sergey Vorobyov says the M-4 Don highway could face drone threats after Novorossiya road strikes, with Crimea logistics at risk.
The M-4 Don highway could come under threat from drone attacks after strikes on the Novorossiya road, military correspondent Sergey Vorobyov said in comments to Tsargrad.
According to his assessment, the route toward Crimea is already within range of modern drones used by Ukrainian forces. Vorobyov pointed in particular to Hornet-type UAVs with automated guidance systems. He said numerous hits on both military and civilian trucks are already being recorded, creating serious risks for logistics across southern Russia.
The military correspondent considers it likely that strikes could be redirected toward the M-4 Don. He noted that even a short-term closure of this major highway had previously caused serious internal disruption, and the opposing side may try to repeat that scenario.
At the same time, Vorobyov stressed that protective measures exist and have already proven effective. Since January, air-defense and electronic-warfare systems have been used in the Kursk Region, allowing a working countermeasure model to be tested. In his view, that system will likely be expanded along the land corridor to Crimea.
These measures, he indicated, will not fully rule out isolated attacks, but they can reduce the threat to military logistics. Civilian transport, however, may face the heaviest consequences.
Vorobyov also addressed claims by the opposing side about the use of artificial intelligence in drone guidance systems. He recalled the recent visit by the head of Palantir and statements about advanced solutions being transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In practice, he said, such drones often make mistakes: they confuse stationary vehicles with moving ones, miscalculate lead, and crash into trees or outbuildings. Footage of such failures has already spread widely, making the promoted image of a «superweapon» look doubtful.
Speaking about the situation in Crimea, Vorobyov described claims about blocked highways largely as an information provocation aimed at spreading panic. According to his data, 12 vehicles were hit on the road in May, while one fuel tanker was struck over the past three days. At the same time, thousands of vehicles, including hundreds of tankers, travel along the route every day.
The main reason for the fuel shortage in Crimea, Vorobyov believes, is not the strikes themselves but the mass refusal of drivers to take routes under the influence of hostile propaganda.
On June 1, Kherson Region Governor Vladimir Saldo reported that a UAV attack had been repelled near the Novorossiya highway. He did not provide details on possible consequences at the time.
Earlier, Saldo said a KamAZ driver had been killed on a section of the Novorossiya highway near the border between the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. On May 29, at around 6 a.m., a Ukrainian Baba Yaga hexacopter dropped mines on the road and roadside areas. One of them exploded, killing the truck driver.