Odessa air defenses unable to intercept hundred of Iskander ballistic missiles a month

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.

Photo: минобороны.рф by Алексей Иванов, CC BY 4.0

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.

Ports of Odessa unload weapons for AFU

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.

Russia will never run out of Iskanders

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.

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Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrative centre of the Odesa Raion and Odesa Oblast, as well as a multiethnic cultural centre. As of January 2021, Odesa's population was approximately 1,010,537. On 25 January 2023, its historic city centre was declared a World Heritage Site and added to the List of World Heritage in Danger by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in recognition of its multiculturality and 19th-century urban planning. The declaration was made in response to the bombing of Odesa during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has damaged or destroyed buildings across the city