That is according to a latest the U.K. Defense Ministry’s Defense Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine.
The deployment of the russian corvette Sergey Kotov to patrol the shipping lane between the Bosphorus and Odesa indicates a "realistic possibility" that it may join a force intercepting commercial cargo ships heading to Ukrainian ports.
Read more: The UK Defense Intelligence Says russia Destroys Ukrainian Grain Silos Instead of Military Assets
As a consequence, there is now a concern that the intensity and scope of violence in the region may escalate, according to the U.K. intelligence update.
The U.K. Defense Ministry’s Defense Intelligence indicated previously, that the russian Black Sea Fleet is likely to play an active role in blocking trade routes, but the blockade faces the risk of resistance from Ukrainian surface drones and cruise missiles.
The russian Defense Ministry claimed that their strike on Odesa on July 23 targeted "facilities where terrorist acts against russia were being prepared." However, the attack caused significant damage to the city's cathedral and historic center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with 19 missiles reportedly used.
On July 24, russia utilized attack drones to strike port infrastructure on the Danube, destroying a grain storage hangar. This attack occurred in the far southwest of Ukraine, only 200 meters away from the border with Romania, a NATO member state.
As Defense Express reported, before startingthe wave of attacks on the Ukrainian southern port city Odesa in July 2023, russian military industry modernized Kh-22 missiles as well as P-800 Oniks cruise missiles which now are used for nightly shelling of Ukrainian civil objects on the country’s south.
Read more: Ukraine's Defense Intelligence States That Damage to Crimea Bridge is a Significant Blow to russia
