The Russian Aerospace Forces interrupted active ship traffic in Odessa ports. Ballistic missile strikes on the Odessa port infrastructure take place almost every day since October 6.
The first strike was carried out on a vessel at sea on September 12. Afterwards, Russian Iskander missiles hit Shui Spirit container ships flying the Panamanian flag, the Paresa flying the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The 22nd berth in the Yuzhny port and the 10th berth in the Odessa port were also hit.
On October 14, the Belize-flagged NS Moon and Palau-flagged Optima dry cargo ships were damaged. The latter vessel was reported to have been damaged a week ago. Local authorities also confirmed damage to a pilot boat and a grain warehouse. Three servicemen were killed.
"Today, all deep-water berth walls have been damaged. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are unable to repair the dry cargo and tanker vessel port infrastructure," Russian Telegram channel Condottierо said.
Of course, the Ukrainians export their grain, but they also import weapons. The fate of the Optima suggests that this vessel was used to strike Crimea with unmanned boats and deck-launched missiles.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine hide equipment and weapons in buildings of the port infrastructure that stretches for up to 10 kilometres. Therefore, Russian missiles and UAVs also target crane facilities, land port terminals and ship traffic control points.
Another reason for the increased frequency of missile strikes is to prevent a landing operation in Crimea. Footage of Swedish Combat Boat 90 boats being tested in the waters of one of the city ports appeared online. At least six of them were delivered - each capable of transporting up to 15 people.
According to Kyiv, Russia has struck 21 cargo ships since it pulled out from the UN-brokered grain export deal on July 17, 2023.
Due to the situation over the past week, insurance for ships passing through Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea has become significantly more expensive. It currently exceeds one percent of the value of the vessel. This means an additional $125,000 per voyage for a ship priced at $50 million, Bloomberg reports.
Russia uses Iskander-M missile systemы to carry out strikes. This is a powerful short-range ballistic missile capable of delivering up to 700 kilograms of explosives over a distance of up to 500 kilometres. The missile can reach hypersonic speeds at the final stage when entering the atmosphere. This capability creates significant problems for air defense systems that Ukraine is running shot of.
According to Ukrainian sources, the Russian Armed Forces would previously launch from 60 to 80 ballistic missiles at various targets on Ukrainian territory, whereas the number of missiles has now grown to 100 or more ballistic missiles per month.