Northwestern part of the Black Sea remains a "gray zone", reads the Ukrainian Naval Forces Command's report. Ukrainian Navy claims to have pushed the russian fleet more than 100 km away from the Ukrainian-controlled shores.
At the same time, russians have adopted the same tactics and deployed their own coastal defense missile systems to regain control of the contested areas.
Read more: Ukraine Will Get RBS-17 Short-Range Anti-Ship Missile System from Sweden
The Navy Command says the current russian presence in the Black Sea is the following:
- up to 30 warships continue the blockade of civilian vessels
- 12 dock landing vessels, yet more than ⅓ of them are in repair
- 15 landing boats of various types
Therefore the threat of landing assault operations by the russian forces remains as well, noted the Navy.
The russians have changed their tactics. As mentioned, they have deployed "Bal" and "Bastion-P" coastal defense missiles to the temporarily occupied territories in Crimea and Kherson region. As Defense Express reported, those "Bastion-P" systems have been used against Odesa airport several times. We have explained why it was a bad idea.
The Ukrainian Navy suggests the reason behind the utilization of anti-ship missiles against ground targets is the shortage of cruise missiles. Russian army has decreased the intensity of strikes with modern "Kalibr" cruise missiles and turned to outdated weaponry from their reserves. The Navy Command said russian warships and submarines have already used about 300 cruise missiles to launch strikes on Ukraine's territory since February 24.
Read more: US Missiles to End russian Sea Blockade
