Missile strikes with ballistic missiles "Iskander" on the port infrastructure of Odessa went into almost daily mode. What caused it? Trying to give an answer to this question Pravda.Ru .
The Russian Aerospace Forces interrupted the active traffic of ships in the ports of the Odessa region after the attacks on them with "ballistics" became regular on October 6. The first strike was carried out on a ship at sea on September 12. Then, from the beginning of October, the arrivals overtook the container ships Shui Spirit under the flag of Panama, Ragesa under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis, as well as the 22nd berth in the port of Yuzhny and the 10th berth in the port of Odessa.
On October 14, the bulk carriers NS Moon under the flag of Belize and Optima under the flag of Palau were damaged. A week ago, the defeat of the last vessel was already reported. Local authorities also confirm damage to a pilot boat and a grain warehouse. It is known about three dead servicemen.
"As of today, all deep-water berthing walls have been damaged. The Ukrainian Armed Forces do not have time to repair the infrastructure for receiving bulk carriers and tankers," writes the Russian Telegram channel Condottiero.
Of course, Ukrainians export grain, but they also carry weapons. The fate of Optima suggests that this vessel was used to launch strikes on the Crimea by unmanned boats and missiles launched from the deck.
Now it is reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are hiding equipment and weapons in the buildings of the port infrastructure, which has a length of up to 10 kilometers. Therefore, the purpose of Russian missiles and UAVs are also crane farms, land-based port terminals and ship traffic control points.
Another reason for the increased frequency of strikes is the prevention of landing troops in the Crimea. The Network got footage of the run-in of Swedish Combat Boat 90 boats in the waters of one of the ports of the city. They were delivered at least six pieces, each capable of transporting up to 15 people.
According to Kiev, Russia attacked 21 cargo ships after withdrawing from a grain export deal brokered by the UN on July 17, 2023.
Due to the situation over the past week, insurance for ships passing through Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea has risen significantly in price. Now it exceeds 1% of the value of the vessel. For a ship with a price of $ 50 million, this means an additional $ 125 thousand per flight, according to Bloomberg.
Russia uses the Iskander-M missile system, a powerful short—range ballistic missile capable of carrying up to 700 kilograms of explosives over a distance of up to 500 kilometers, to launch strikes. The rocket can reach hypersonic speeds at the final stage when entering the atmosphere. This ability creates significant problems for the air defense systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which are lacking.
Ukrainian sources estimate that the Russian Armed Forces previously fired from 60 to 80 ballistic missiles at various targets on the territory of Ukraine, and now they are going for a record hundred or more ballistic missile launches per month.