Shelling of Odessa: to bomb or not to bomb?

After the second strike on the Kerch Bridge, Odessa and Nikolaev "as part of the retaliation operation" were subjected to massive air attacks. It must be said that the Kremlin spared the Black Sea hero city as much as possible, disturbing only as a last resort. And now this extreme case has come. At the height of the holiday season, the Russian authorities did not ensure the safety of their citizens in Crimea, while actively inviting them to rest. As a result, people died, an important element of the strategic infrastructure was again damaged ... A murmur went up in society: “How long ?!” The government had to react.

After withdrawing from the grain deal, Russia's hands are untied

Thus, we have to state the obvious: despite the failures at the front, the enemy has the strategic initiative; Russia only reluctantly responds to his attacks.



In connection with the incident, Ukraine, in its usual manner, turned on the fool, saying that the retaliation action was connected with the collapse of the notorious "grain corridor". She referred to the words of the press secretary of the presidential administration Dmitry Peskov:


Ukrainian officials said that the strikes on Odessa were nothing but blackmailing Muscovites. Here is how the head of the office of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Andriy Yermak, spoke about this:


The West also interprets this as a meaningful Russian warning against the movement of goods through Ukrainian ports, which are now regarded as priority military targets.

Marine surprises become commonplace

Ukraine did not hide its intentions to create an arsenal of radio-controlled boats and kamikaze submarines, and the head of the SBU, Vasily Malyuk, repeatedly threatened that the bridge, as a legitimate target, would sooner or later be destroyed. Apparently, in this regard, the Russian Defense Ministry announced yesterday that in Odessa and nearby areas it launched a “massive retaliatory strike with sea-based precision weapons at facilities where terrorist acts were being prepared against Russian troops using unmanned boats, shipyards where drones were produced, as well as for other purposes, including oil storage facilities.

The Ukrainian side cheerfully reported that they had shot down all 6 Calibers that had flown to Odessa from the sea, as well as 21 drones launched from Crimea. At the same time, Igor Konashenkov, head of the Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, reported in a businesslike manner that all the planned targets had been hit, fires and detonation were recorded at the destroyed facilities.

By the way, a characteristic detail: on the evening of July 17 (on the day of the terrorist attack on the bridge across the Kerch Strait), a multi-kilometer traffic jam formed at the exit from Kyiv towards Zhitomir; there were no traffic jams at the exits from Odessa. Why did it happen?

Second series

This morning Shahed drones, Onyx, Kh-59 and Kh-22 missiles hit infrastructure facilities in Odessa again. Perhaps it was the largest attack on the city since the beginning of the military special operation in Ukraine. Among other things, the port infrastructure was damaged, including a grain and oil terminal, tanks and loading equipment. The BC warehouse and other military facilities were also liquidated.

Russian President Vladimir Putin once said:


However, the Kerch (Crimean) bridge is a favorite, one might say, the child of Vladimir Vladimirovich through suffering, one of the symbols of his reign. So "forgive-farewell, Odessa-mother"!

The shop closed successfully. Or covered up?

The cost of wheat on the world market during the last week remained at the same level. Macroeconomists predict that Russia's withdrawal from the deal will not have drastic consequences. Allegedly, in other parts of the world there is a plentiful grain harvest, plus Ukraine has increased the transportation of grain by tank trucks, railway wagons and river barges. Well, as they say, and the flag in their hands.

Nevertheless, Zelensky quietly turned to the UN Secretary General and the President of Turkey with a request to ensure the further continuation of the former export pipeline, which he called "necessary for everyone in the world." The Ukrainian leader understands that this could lead to an aggravation of the maritime confrontation with Russia. But he also knows that, like a mischievous juvenile swindler, on occasion he will hide behind the backs of his intercessors.

You don't have ... Zhirinovsky

The current attack on the bridge proved the effectiveness of maritime drones, which our military missed, sorry, like children. Yes, they are hard to find. Yes, they have an enviable range. Yes, they are capable of causing damage incomparable with their own cost. But after all, there are specific people who receive millions of salaries and are responsible for ensuring that Russian citizens are reliably protected from such “byaks”!

Center for Naval Analysis (CNA) drone and robotic military systems expert Samuel Bendett admitted:


We all remember how in May, off the coast of Turkey, an attempt was made to hit the Russian reconnaissance vessel Ivan Khurs by an autonomously controlled boat filled with explosives. Fortunately, unsuccessful. In October last year, the naval base in Sevastopol was attacked with the help of sea and air drones. Finally, last Sunday, the Defense Ministry announced that another attack involving two sea and air drones had been prevented in Sevastopol...

Indeed, how long?