Ukraine has found a way to outwit the Russian blockade in the Black Sea. At the same time, Vladimir Putin's fleet was decimated ship by ship.
Odessa – The Ukraine war is for Russia the Black Sea has long been a history of setbacks and mishaps. The loss of the flagship “Moskva” in April 2022 exemplifies the difficulties Moscow in the waters that the Kremlin actually wants to control.
Ukraine War: Russia has lost control of the Black Sea
It's not just that the Black Sea Fleet's military losses are high: Like the British weekly newspaper The Economist now reported that the Russian blockade of the Ukrainian grain trade through the Bosphorus towards the Mediterranean has now largely fizzled out.
With 6.3 million tons, the three Ukrainian ports of Odessa, Chornomorsk and Pivdenny shipped almost as much goods and grain in December as before the Russian attack on the neighboring country to the west, which violated international law. It's the next defeat for autocrat Wladimir Putin in the geopolitical struggle for the Ukraine.
Russian Black Sea Fleet: Devastating losses at sea and Crimea
Outlook Kievs The Russian Black Sea Fleet was pushed back from the northwestern, southwestern and even central parts of the waters in early 2024 after devastating strikes against it. We are talking about 22 of Moscow's warships destroyed, sunk or (severely) damaged. Those losses were recently documented on a map published by the Ukrainian online portal The New Voice of Ukraine (NV) published on his social media channels. Several examples can be seen using photos or videos on X (formerly Twitter).
On December 26th, the large Russian landing ship “Novocherkassk” was destroyed in an air raid on the port city of Feodosiya. It is now considered certain that the guided missile cruiser “Moskva” sank on April 14, 2022. According to the US Department of Defense, two Ukrainian anti-ship missiles of the type “Neptune” were responsible for this.
Vladimir Putin's Black Sea Fleet: 22 warships destroyed or sunk
In September 2023, the Ukrainian Air Force also damaged the submarine “Rostov-on-Don” and the landing ship “Minsk” so much that they are no longer operational. French Scalp cruise missiles were apparently used in this attack on the Sergo Ordzhonikidze shipyard in Sevastopol. To name just the three best-known examples.
Black Sea: Ukraine breaks Russia's naval blockade
The fact that the interim blockade of deep-sea trade has only lasted for a short time since July 2023 is likely to be a similarly severe blow to the Kremlin regime. Among other things, Ukraine placed
all freighter traffic under a central maritime command. “We connect dealers with emergency services, environmental services, weather reports, missile attacks and air raid warnings,” quoted The Economist Yuriy Lytvyn, head of the Ukrainian Seaport Authority: “It’s a unique Lego puzzle, an incredible amount of work.”
The Ukrainian border guard also meticulously controls the ports between the Danube Delta near the Romanian border, the city of Odessa (inhabited by around 990,000 people) and the village of Rybakivka in the south of the Ukrainian Mykolaiv Oblast, from where the northernmost tip of the Russian border is reached around the clock occupied Crimea are only ten kilometers away as the crow flies. This is intended to deter possible Russian saboteurs.
Russian Black Sea blockade broken: NATO helps Ukraine
It is now also known: Ukraine is sending the huge cargo ships, actually designed for ocean shipping, from their ports through shallow waters near the Romanian and Bulgarian borders, apparently in close consultation with the transatlantic defense alliance NATO, whose presence protects the tankers from possible Russian ones protects against attacks.
Black Sea: Ukraine ships millions of tons of grain through the Bosphorus
Among other things, the NATO airport Konstanza (Constanta) is located directly on the Black Sea coast. American F-16 and F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets are stationed at the neighboring Borcea air base, as is the 53rd Fighter Squadron of the Romanian Air Force, with all 14 F-16 fighter jets in the country.
Ukraine, which is heavily agricultural, exports millions of tons of corn from its vast grain stores, which accounts for around half of grain exports. But also wheat (about a quarter), sunflower seeds (about ten percent) and other agricultural products. According to that Council of the European Union around two thirds of the wheat goes to developing countries. (pm)
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