BlackSky sat images show new defenses around Sevastopol harbor
Ukrainian rockets and naval drones have “destroyed or disabled” more than 20 Russian ships during the war, almost a third of the entire Black Sea Fleet.
The analyst said the buoys and barricades will almost certainly slow down operations.
The Biden administration’s decision to provide ATACMS missiles that can hit ports in Crimea will deepen Ukraine’s ability to hold the Russian fleet in check. But observers have marveled at what Ukrainian forces have achieved with homegrown weapons.
“The combination of Ukraine’s innovative weapon systems—such as long-range unmanned attack vehicles and reconstituted land-based Harpoon missile launchers—as well as low-cost situational awareness tools and risk-taking tactics has worked to pin down and neuter the Russian Black Sea fleet,” said Mark Montgomery, a retired rear admiral who serves as senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation.
“The Ukrainian Navy has done a lot with a little, using non-traditional and MacGyvered tools to limit Russia’s freedom of maneuver in the Black Sea and prevent Russia from threatening Ukrainian shores with amphibious assault,” he continued. “This has also contributed to Ukraine’s ability to continue vital shipments of grain out through the Black Sea.”
“To me, these maritime efforts have been one of the Ukrainian military’s most impressive achievements,” Montgomery said.
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