‘Ukraine keeps busting myths about the Russian fleet and army’
DISCLAIMER: All opinions in this column reflect the views of the author(s), not of EURACTIV Media network.
The most significant development in the past few days is that the Ukrainian army demonstrated their new capacity to attack the Russian Black Sea fleet in the Crimea harbours and probably even further, including by using aerial drones, writes Roman Rukomeda.
Roman Rukomeda is a Ukrainian political analyst. This is his 70th account of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Today is the 252nd day of Russian aggression and war against Ukraine. My country goes on to demonstrate to the world the sorry state of the Russian armed forces and their rapidly decreasing capabilities.
After the sinking flagman of the Russian Black Sea fleet “Moskva”, the turn has come to its current substitution – the frigate “Admiral Makarov”, which is so damaged that it can no longer perform its functions. Last weekend Ukraine conducted an unprecedented attack on the Russian Black Sea fleet in the open sea and inside the protected harbours of Sevastopol in occupied Ukrainian Crimea.
On the fronts, the Ukrainian Army continues successfully but slowly to liberate Ukraine’s territories in the East and the South. The intensity of the fighting is fierce as the number of Russian casualties, and lost tanks/armoured vehicles have almost doubled, resulting in around 800 Russian losses each day, according to Ukrainian General Staff.
Russians are trying to counterattack so far only on the East in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with no significant success. At the same time, Russian terrorists demonstrate no desire to leave Kherson and the right bank of Ukrainian lands in the Kherson region. Instead, they continue to rob the city, including houses and apartments of civilian Ukrainians. They also delivered more mobilised Russian troops to Kherson. Nevertheless, the chances for the Ukrainian Army to liberate Kherson by the end of this year are growing.
The most significant change during the last week was Ukraine’s use of air drones (UAVs) in the attack on the Russian Black Sea fleet in the open sea and the Sevastopol (Crimea) harbour. As a result, between three and nine Russian warships of different types were damaged. After Ukraine attacked the Russian Black Sea fleet, its capacity to launch missiles on Ukrainian cities and civilians significantly decreased.
Russian aggressors were shocked that the Ukrainian Army could attack Russian ships in the Sevastopol harbour – the best-protected Black Sea Russian navy base.
Having no success on the battlefields, the Russian army continues to perform massive attacks on Ukrainian cities, shooting at them with rockets, missiles, MLRS systems and Iranian drones.
Only this Monday, about 50 Russian rockets were launched against Ukraine, 44 being put down by the Ukrainian air-defence force. Russia’s primary goals are objects of Ukrainian critical civil infrastructure such as power stations, water dams, electricity grids etc. Such attacks amount to a crime against humanity because the Russians are trying to create inhumane conditions of living for the civilian Ukrainian population before the winter period and cold weather.
But far from the idea of surrendering, the Ukrainian people, 86% of the, according to recent sociological polls, prefer to fight until the final victory, despite all the difficulties.
About 40% of the Ukrainian energy system is seriously damaged now. It creates many problems for the national economy and the population. In all Ukrainian cities, towns and villages, we have blackouts and a lack of electricity for up to six hours. Sometimes it can happen several times per day. For each of us, it is very difficult to plan our day, as we never know when we will have electricity.
If you walk along the Kyiv streets now, you will hear a new sound – the electricity generators’ engines that are turned on in many small businesses during blackouts. The other feature of our lives is having to buy bottled drinking water, as there are recurring problems with the water supply after the Russian terrorist attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. But we do not give up and try to adapt to the current complicated situation.
Due to the problems in the energy sector because of Russian attacks, Ukraine needs extra assistance restoring its energy systems. The help from the EU and other partners is very much needed and brings us closer in our fight against Russian aggression.
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