Ukraine has claimed that it has sunk almost a third of Russian ships in the Black Sea. An AP report quoting Ukrainian Naval spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said that strikes hit the Russian landing ship Kostiantyn Olshansky that was resting in a dock in Sevastopol in Crimea. The strikes come after successful attacks on two other Russian ships, said Pletenchuk.
“Our ultimate goal is complete absence of military ships of the so-called Russian Federation in the Azov and Black Sea regions,” Pletenchuk said.
The Ukraine Naval spokesperson’s assertion has been backed up by the West who stated that Russia’s dominance in the Black Sea is slowly being threatened. UK Defence Minister Grant Shapps wrote on X in December 2023. “This latest destruction of Putin’s navy demonstrates that those who believe there’s a stalemate in the Ukraine war are wrong! They haven’t noticed that over the past 4 months 20% of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has been destroyed. Russia’s dominance in the Black Sea is now challenged and the new UK & Norway led Maritime Capability Coalition is helping to ensure Ukraine will win at sea.”
The Ukrainian attacks come at a crucial phase in the war as Russia recently suffered one of its worst terror attacks last week, where over 113 people have been killed and 100 people injured in a concert hall in Moscow. Though ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack which was carried out by four Tajik men, President Putin continues to blame the West and Ukraine for the attack and has vowed retribution.
Responding to Putin’s charge in a post on X, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote. “Putin spoke to himself again today, which was broadcast on television. Again, he accused Ukraine. Sick, cynical creature. In his mind, everyone is a terrorist except himself, despite the fact that he has been fed terror for two decades. Putin is the largest window for terror. He and his special services. When he vanishes, so will the demand for terror and violence, because it is his. No one else’s.”
The sinking of Russia’s Black Sea ships has allowed Ukraine to ship its grain through the sea. The Wall Street Journal reports that this has allowed Ukraine to grow and ship its grain close to pre-war levels from the port of Odessa.
The sinking of Russian ships does not solve Ukraine’s major problem. The war-torn country is desperately short on artillery, without which it cannot win the land war. With a $60 billion package for Ukraine held up in the US Congress, experts believe it will be all but impossible for Kyiv to win the war.
