They can't take Odesa without landing ships: an expert explained how the strike on Crimea is destroying Russia's plans for the Mykolaiv region

After the SBU special operation in temporarily occupied Crimea, during which, according to official data, three Russian warships were struck at once, including two landing ships, the topic of possible enemy plans in the south again came to the fore. Among the struck vessels the SBU named the large landing ships “Yamal” and “Azov”, as well as a military ship of an unidentified type. Damage to enemy radar and fuel facilities was also reported separately.

The head of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation Serhiy Kuzan on air of Radio NV said that the loss or serious damage of large landing ships directly hits Russia’s capabilities in the Black Sea. In his assessment, without such vessels the scenarios previously discussed regarding the capture of Odesa and the creation of a land corridor through the Mykolaiv region toward Moldova will remain unrealized.

According to the expert, large landing ships are a basic tool for transporting personnel, armored vehicles and heavy cargo by sea. That is why their destruction means not just another blow to the Russian fleet, but a reduction in the enemy’s ability to maintain a military presence in Crimea and to consider large-scale amphibious operations on the southern front. At the same time Kuzan clarified that for final conclusions about the consequences of the attack additional data on the extent of damage to these ships is still needed.

“Without them it is impossible to carry out amphibious operations at all”, – noted Serhiy Kuzan, explaining the significance of striking Russia’s large landing ships for the situation in southern Ukraine.

For the Mykolaiv region this statement is important not only as a military comment. It again emphasizes that strikes on Russian maritime targets in Crimea are directly related to the security of the entire south of Ukraine, since they reduce the enemy’s ability to act in the direction of Odesa, the Black Sea coast and potentially to put pressure on the neighboring Moldovan direction.