Nov. 11, 2024, 1:35 p.m.
(Photo: Telegram channel GANUL)
In October, the Center for Public Investigations published a study on the problems with the tetrapods, which were installed on the beach in Chornomorsk, Odesa region, and were covered with sand.
Significant budgetary funds were allocated for their installation, and journalists expressed fears that the money for such structures was wasted. And on November 10, it was reported that the contractor's construction equipment had finally begun to remove the fortifications from the sand.
In today's realities, as Oleksandr Kovalenko, a military and political observer of the Information Resistance group, explained to the CPR, tetrapods do not allow for a large-scale landing on the coast when light or medium armored vehicles with amphibious properties are used. However, buried in the sand, they cannot fully fulfill their functionality.
"The main benefit of tetrapods is when they are completely on the surface, when they completely obstruct the passage of enemy equipment with their mass and size," the expert said.
On November 10, information appeared on the Telegram channel of Odesa activist Demian Hanul that construction equipment was finally removing tetrapods from the sand, which had been installed as fortifications in Odesa region.
The CPR spoke with the activist. According to him, it was the Odesa Regional Military Administration that suggested to the contractors to install the tetrapods close to the water. Now that the structures have begun to sink into the sand, the administration is not accepting the work. Therefore, the contractor is raising the fortifications at his own expense.
The CPR asked the Odesa Regional Military Administration for a comment. They confirmed that "the work is indeed underway."
It is worth noting that the lion's share of contracts of the regional department of capital construction and road facilities this year were defense-related tenders. In total, there were 112 of them for a total of UAH 2.8 billion. 59 contracts worth UAH 2.7 billion were concluded for the construction of fortifications and 53 contracts worth UAH 36.5 million for construction supervision.
The construction of fortifications in Odesa region is almost complete. As Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said at a meeting on November 8, the state has allocated UAH 2.7 billion to Odesa region for this purpose. According to him, in 2024, the government has identified fortifications as one of the key priorities for supporting Odesa region, allocating significant public funds for them.