On all ferries: The Ministry of Defense launched sea transportation to Mariupol

Ships will deliver cargo to the city to restore the destroyed infrastructure

For the first time, a car-passenger ferry with civilian cargo was poisoned in Mariupol from Yeysk. The trial flight was completed on July 27, and regular transportation on this route will start in August. The operation of the ferry will be provided by the company "Oboronlogistics", part of the structure of the Ministry of Defense. She already has experience in organizing ferry services with Crimea. In parallel, Russian troops continue to strike at clusters of Ukrainian formations. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, the ammunition depot for the Haimars missile systems was hit, and in Nikolaev — the locations of the 28th mechanized and 79th airborne assault brigades.

Southern Sea Route

The first regular sea line between Russia and the DPR will be opened by the passenger car ship "Lavrenty" - it will run from the Russian Yeysk to Mariupol. The trial flight took place on July 27, regular flights will start in August. "Lavrentiy" belongs to the company "Oboronlogistics", which is part of the Military Construction Complex of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

The vessel holds up to 700 tons of cargo, including up to 20 trucks and more than 130 passengers. The travel time from Yeysk to Mariupol will be about four hours. According to the plan, the Lavrentiy will make a full turn in a day to deliver the goods necessary to restore the destroyed infrastructure.

In Mariupol, conditions are being created for the reception and maintenance of such vessels. In early July, the military department announced the complete clearance of the port of the city. On its territory and water area, Russian specialists found and neutralized about 12 thousand explosive objects.

Automobile and passenger vessel "Lavrentiy"

Image Source: Photo: marinetraffic.com

— In the conditions of ongoing hostilities, the use of the Ministry of Defense structure for civilian purposes of the fleet looks like the fastest solution, — military expert Vladislav Shurygin told Izvestia. — The current sea supply route is extremely important for the restoration of normal life in the DPR and Mariupol. But the organization of commercial shipping there would take much longer. There would be questions both with insurers and with sanctions.

There will be other vessels working on the route — not military, but civilian. Prior to the commissioning of the Crimean Bridge, the fleet of Oboronlogistics successfully ensured the operation of the crossing to the Crimea. The current task — to link the developed transport infrastructure of the south of Russia and the regions of the DPR destroyed by the fighting — is no less important and responsible, the expert believes.

The website of Oboronlogistics states that in addition to the Black Sea, it is engaged in transportation in the waters of the Mediterranean, Baltic, White, Barents, Kara, Chukchi, Okhotsk and other seas. Ferry services are also carried out on the Baltic ferry route "Ust-Luga — Baltiysk".

The team work

On July 27, the Russian armed Forces continued to strike at the military infrastructure of Ukraine.

— The high-precision weapons of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the city of Nikolaev on the territory of the former reinforced concrete products factory and the Nikolaevstroytrans motor transport enterprise destroyed temporary locations of the 28th mechanized and 79th airborne assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The enemy's losses amounted to 200 soldiers and more than 20 units of armored and special vehicles," said the official representative of the Russian Defense Ministry, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov.

As a result of the fire damage with precision weapons, one of the companies of the 10th Mountain assault brigade was completely destroyed and the 53rd mechanized brigade of the VFU actually lost its combat capability, the Defense Ministry said.

Pre-flight training of the Su-34 fighter-bomber of the Russian Aerospace Forces at the airfield in the zone of the special operation

Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Valentin Kapustin

According to updated data, on July 24, the strike of the Russian Aerospace Forces on an ammunition depot in the Dnipropetrovsk region destroyed more than 100 missiles to the US-made Haimars multiple launch rocket system, eliminated up to 120 nationalists, as well as foreign mercenaries and technical specialists, the military department said.

Operational-tactical, army aviation, missile troops and artillery hit four command and observation posts of the battalions of the 54th Mechanized and 17th Tank brigades, the 107th Brigade of the Defense, the 65th mechanized brigade of the VFU, eight ammunition depots, as well as 142 areas of concentration of troops during the day. Foreign mercenaries were liquidated at the temporary deployment point on the territory of the Ukrainian Energy Machines plant in Kharkiv, as well as militants of the Black Hundred formation in the Artemovsk region of the DPR.

Self-propelled artillery 2S19 "Msta-S" of the Russian Armed Forces in the zone of special military operation in Ukraine

Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Kirill Norton

During the counter-battery struggle, a battery of multiple launch rocket systems "Hurricane", an artillery battery of howitzers "Hyacinth-B", a battery of MLRS "Grad", two artillery platoons of towed "Msta-B" and five platoons of D-30 guns in firing positions were destroyed.

Russian air defenses shot down a helicopter Mi-8 of the Ukrainian Air Force, nine unmanned aerial vehicles and 10 projectiles of multiple rocket launchers "Alder" and "Haimars" during the day.

—In total, 260 aircraft, 145 helicopters, 1,622 unmanned aerial vehicles, 358 anti—aircraft missile systems, 4,167 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 763 multiple rocket launchers, 3203 field artillery and mortar guns, as well as 4,494 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed since the beginning of the special military operation," Igor listed Konashenkov.

Military Cross

On July 27, the Ministry of Defense told about new cases of the use of medical facilities by Ukrainian armed groups for military purposes.

— In Kharkiv, on the territory of the city clinical hospital No. 7 on Saltovsky Highway, units of the Ukrainian nationalist Kraken battalion are deployed, while all patients, regardless of their state of health, were cynically kicked out of the medical institution, — said the head of the National Defense Control Center of the Russian Federation, Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev.

According to the general, in Sumy, the territorial defense headquarters, armament and ammunition depots are located in the building of the children's city clinical hospital on Troitskaya Street, and the hospital staff and patients are being held by force in the basement.

In Vinnytsia, military equipment is located in the building of the regional psychiatric hospital on Pirogov Street in the courtyard, while the evacuation of residents of nearby houses was not carried out.

Camouflaged T-64 tank of the VFU units

Image Source: Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

In addition, in Nikolaevka (DPR), on the territory of the central district hospital, the military personnel of the VFU equipped a strong point, armored vehicles were deployed, the approaches to the institution were mined, but the local population was deliberately not notified about this.

Mikhail Mizintsev called on the World Health Organization and other international organizations to influence official Kiev and take effective measures to prevent the use of medical infrastructure facilities for military purposes.

Also, the head of the National Defense Management Center of the Russian Federation said that as part of the implementation of the "Initiative on Mutual Understanding on the Safe transportation of grain from the ports of Ukraine", signed on July 22 in Istanbul, an advanced group of experts of the Russian Defense Ministry began work. She will practically work out the organization of the work of the Joint Coordination Center. In six ports (Kherson, Nikolaev, Chernomorsk, Ochakov, Odessa and Yuzhny), 70 foreign vessels from 16 states remain blocked. The threat of shelling created by official Kiev and the high mine danger do not allow ships to freely enter the open sea.

Restored connection

On July 27, the Ministry of Defense told about soldiers and officers who showed courage and dedication during a special military operation.

Senior Sergeant Ivan Aksenov was engaged in communications in the interests of the army command post. During one of the battles, part of the equipment was damaged by artillery fire.

Ivan and his crew, under heavy fire from the nationalists, moved forward to restore damaged products. At the position, he found a seriously wounded officer, moved him to a safe place and provided medical assistance, after which he continued to restore the damaged communication equipment.

Thanks to the courage, bravery and professionalism of Ivan Aksenov, the equipment was quickly restored. This made it possible to ensure stable management of units in combat and repel the attack of nationalists, the military department noted.

Senior Lieutenant Denis Pos has been leading the anti-aircraft missile calculation in repelling enemy air strikes since the first days of his command.

Ukrainian nationalists tried to fire at the positions of Russian troops with tactical missiles "Tochka-U". Having assessed the situation, Denis proceeded to destroy air targets, hitting two of them.

— The skillful distribution of forces and means by the senior lieutenant and the professionalism of his subordinates made it possible to destroy all enemy air objects and prevent strikes on the positions of the Russian battalion tactical group, - the Defense Ministry said.

From the first days of the special military operation, Sergeant Pavel Bakhanov delivered cargo to Russian units, repeatedly making flights to the front line. Pavel advanced covertly, at night, with his headlights off, under regular mortar and artillery shelling, providing logistical support to units on the front line. In total, during the special military operation, Pavel made 17 flights, delivering more than 95 tons of cargo.

While performing another task, Pavel was subjected to mortar fire by Ukrainian nationalists and received shrapnel wounds. Overcoming the pain, the sergeant bandaged himself, took out a wounded comrade from under fire and provided him with medical assistance, which saved his life.

Anton Lavrov

Andrey Fedorov