Currently, the southern Ukrainian battlefield is heating up, in addition to the Kherson-Zaporizhia front where fierce fighting is taking place, the Odessa area will also be an important battlefield for both sides.
Currently, the three major fronts on the Ukrainian battlefield show different developments, on the Donetsk and Kharkov fronts are relatively calm, neither Russia nor Ukraine have large-scale military operations.
However, the fighting on the Kherson-Zaporizhia front became increasingly fierce, and the Ukrainian Army launched a fierce counterattack, hoping to turn the tide here.
The Ukrainian military in Kherson made extensive use of artillery, including the newly received US HIMARS mobile missile, to destroy a number of Russian targets. The Russian army was in a defensive state and was relatively passive on the battlefield, due to insufficient troops.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that on the Odessa front, the Russian Army’s offensive was very fierce, many forces coordinated with each other to conduct raids on military targets in Odessa.
According to the news released by the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Russian Army rarely dispatches more than 20 combat aircraft, including the Su-57 stealth fighter and the Tu-22M3 strategic bomber, to attack the enemy city of Odessa.
The Kalibr cruise missile attack from Russian warships in the Black Sea destroyed a warehouse of Harpoon anti-ship missiles that the West had just aided; in addition to sinking a warship of the Ukrainian Navy.
The Ukrainian army is still equipped with a small number of air defense systems, and has established a network of medium and low-range anti-aircraft fire, combined with mobile anti-aircraft missiles, which poses a threat. significant for the Russian Air Force.
However, the Russian Army did not launch a massive attack on Odessa, but first used cruise missiles from the sea to attack Ukrainian air defense positions deployed in Odessa; Russia’s missile-launching warships are out of range of Ukrainian anti-ship missiles.
The Russian army attacked the city of Odessa on a large scale, the scope of the Ukrainian battlefield expanded. For the Russian Army, stretching the front line for too long is not a good thing; focusing on liberating Donbass in the immediate future, that is the best choice.
So the question is why is the Russian Army still attacking Odessa? First of all, Ukraine’s Harpoon anti-ship missiles, deployed in Odessa, can pose a threat to the warships of the Black Sea Fleet; so the Russian Army needs to remove the threat in time, to ensure the safety of its ships.
Second, the US and UK are intending to provide Ukraine with some warships, and the Russian Army needs to prevent the rise of the Ukrainian Navy; otherwise, with ships equipped with anti-ship missiles Harpoon, will be a dangerous threat to Russian warships, operating even far from shore.
After the Russian Army withdrew from Snake Island, the blockade in the northwest of the Black Sea was lifted, and Ukrainian cargo ships could enter and exit freely. This is also difficult for Russia.
So do Ukrainian cargo ships, transport Western weapons and equipment by sea? This is a point of concern for the Russian Army, as Russia cannot control these ships.
In addition, the Odessa area has become an important base for the Ukrainian Army to accumulate strength. This is not only a direct threat to the Black Sea Fleet, but also a threat to the Russian Army in the Kherson region.
If the Ukrainian Army in Odessa has the conditions to develop strongly, the advantage of the Russian Army in the region will be greatly weakened, and Russia’s plan to turn Ukraine into a landlocked country will hardly become a reality. real.