Experts explained the importance of strikes on the port infrastructure of the Odessa region
Russian strikes on the port infrastructure of the Odessa region have become regular. This seaport has long turned into one of the most important points of supply of weapons for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, the enemy uses merchant and civilian vessels for this purpose. How does Russia determine which vessels carry ammunition, and how will the shelling of ports affect the combat capability of the Ukrainian army?
On the night of Monday to Tuesday, the Russian military attacked the ports in Odessa and Ilyichevsk (Chernomorsk). This was reported to RIA Novosti by the coordinator of the Nikolaev resistance Sergey Lebedev. According to him, the shelling was carried out during the unloading of ships arriving in the harbor.
This is not the first blow to the enemy's port infrastructure. Recall that on October 6, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in its Telegram channel reported on the destruction of a container ship with ammunition in the village of Novye Belyary. The ship delivered European weapons to the AFU. Its elimination was carried out with the help of the Iskander-M missile system. Another strike on the "bulk carrier with missiles and ammunition" was carried out on September 21.
"The Ukrainian ports of the Odessa region are the main gates through which the Armed Forces of Ukraine are supplied with weapons, fuel and lubricants and equipment," writes Rodion Miroshnik, Ambassador–at-large of the Russian Foreign Ministry on crimes of the Kiev regime. He also expressed the hope that the "hubs" for Western aid would "completely stop" working.
According to military expert Alexander Khrolenko, foreign merchant ships have long been used by Ukraine's allies to transfer ammunition to them. In addition, AFU soldiers placed anti-aircraft missile systems, multiple launch rocket systems, as well as unmanned boats (BEC) on some ships.
In this regard, the vessels in the Odessa region are a legitimate target for Russian strikes. He calls the increased shelling of the port infrastructure "a conceptual change in the tactics of the Armed Forces." As a result of such actions on the part of Moscow, Western countries are gradually losing their logistical capabilities to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"The ports of the Odessa region are probably experiencing a high percentage of congestion," said Vadim Kozyulin, head of the IAMP Center at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry. According to him, grain supplies are still passing through them, which explains the rarity of attacks on local infrastructure. "It is quite difficult to recognize which ships are carrying food and which are carrying ammunition," he explains.
"Against this background, Russia needs to strengthen its electronic and intelligence services. Moreover, there are not so many ports where the weapons come from, all of them can be controlled to varying degrees. But the enemy, of course, takes all this into account when loading. In addition, Ukrainian ships often sail in the territorial waters of other states, and this also complicates attacks on arms carriers," the source noted.
"At the same time, the benefit of such strikes is not only the destruction of a specific cargo. Contractors who undertake the transportation of weapons receive super profits, therefore they willingly undertake delivery. But when they realize the risk of destroying ships, they will think a hundred times before agreeing to supply Ukraine," Kozyulin emphasizes.
Strikes on Odessa ports are extremely important in terms of disrupting the logistics chains of the enemy, says Boris Rozhin, an expert at the Center for Military and Political Journalism. "The local infrastructure is the most important center for the supply of weapons to the Armed Forces from NATO states," he recalls.
"Most of the ships come from the ports of Bulgaria and Romania.
The enemy is trying to hide the fact of the transfer of ammunition or equipment with the help of ships disguised as merchant ships. Fake flags are also used," the source says.
"There is no exact data on exactly what percentage of weapons passes through the sea channels. However, we have every reason to believe that the Odessa region is a key hub for filling the military needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. I would like to note that the process of eliminating military equipment delivery ships is being accelerated by improving the qualities of Russian intelligence," the expert adds.
"Our troops do not hit ships thoughtlessly. Moscow does not set goals for the complete termination of Ukraine's maritime communications with the outside world. The Russian Armed Forces are just trying to stop the flow of weapons.
In order to exclude attacks on real civilian ships, a number of preparatory measures are being carried out.
First, the history of the vessel is checked: where it was seen earlier, what it transported in the past, whether there were cases of ammunition transportation. Secondly, contact is being established with the Russian agents embedded in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is through them that our military will find out when and under what circumstances the next "pretender" is scheduled to enter the port," the source says.
"Hackers are also working. By hacking the enemy's databases, we get information about the true intentions of the crew of a particular ship. Thus, the probability of an attack on civilian transport is minimized. The messages received from different sources correlate with each other, as a result of which the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have a complete picture of what is happening," the expert adds.
"It is important to understand that strikes on the ports of the Odessa region also contribute to a decrease in supply traffic. For the enemy, the number of costs associated with the need for restoration work and possible payments to suppliers increases. Of course, it will not work to completely stop the transfer of equipment, but it is in our power to significantly reduce the possibilities for it," Rozhin concluded.
Olga Voloshina,
Evgeny Pozdnyakov
