It's Easier For Ukraine To Hit Russian Ships Than It Is For Russia To Hit Ukrainian Ships
Command and control is everything
Unrestricted naval warfare rages across the Black Sea as Russian forces retaliate for Ukrainian forces’ strikes on Russia’s unregistered commercial shadow fleet of tankers, dry cargo ships and auxiliaries.
For more than a week, Russian drones and missiles have been pummeling Ukraine’s Black Sea ports—and also striking grain ships sailing to and from these ports.
On Sunday, three Russian Kh-59/69 cruise missiles struck the dry cargo ship Golden Leo near Snake Island in the western Black Sea, killing at least five crew.
The following day, Monday, the Russians took aim at Odesa and nearby Ukrainian ports. AMK Mapping tallied the following strikes:
Four Tupolev Tu-22M bombers launched four Kh-22/32 cruise missiles
Four Sukhoi Su-34s and a Sukhoi Su-57 launched eight Kh-59/69
A Sukhoi Su-34 fired two Kh-31 anti-radar missiles
Nine Orion drones fired nine Banderol cruise missiles
Several Geran one-way attack drones also struck
Since launching the first drone strikes against the Russian shadow fleet on July 6, the Ukrainians have struck nearly 160 ships: potentially a third of all Russian shipping in the Black Sea and adjacent Sea of Azov. Daily strikes have decreased in recent days as the surviving vessels retreat to protected ports.
