The occupiers are deploying boat units to the sea for operations off the coast of the Kherson region

Russian troops plan to step up their activities in the waters near the temporarily occupied Kherson region and Crimea, deploying several boat groups and nearly two dozen vessels for this purpose.

Ukrinform reports this, citing Vladislav Voloshin, a spokesperson for the Southern Defense Forces.

According to him, the enemy is preparing reconnaissance and search operations in the Black Sea coastal zone from Portove to Vitino. To carry out these tasks, the Russians plan to deploy several boat groups from the Dnipro River Flotilla of the Russian Federation’s Black Sea Fleet.

The main objective of these actions is to locate and destroy Ukrainian unmanned boats, as well as to counter Ukrainian reconnaissance and sabotage groups.

As Voloshin noted, the occupiers fear that following successful strikes by the Ukrainian Defense Forces against enemy military facilities and logistics, attempts by Ukrainian groups to land on the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea and the left bank of the Kherson region may intensify.

In this regard, the Russian command is attempting to tighten control over the coastal zone and the waters of the Black Sea by deploying additional forces and resources to conduct search operations.

Recently, the International Arbitration Tribunal affirmed Ukraine’s rights as a coastal state in the Black and Azov Seas and the Kerch Strait and rejected Russia’s claims to sole control over these waters.

In addition, the occupying authorities in Crimea continue to transform the peninsula into a major military base while simultaneously preparing for possiblehostilities. To this end, the Russians are strengthening their defensive lines, increasing their military presence, and expanding their logistics infrastructure.

Furthermore, in the temporarily occupied part of the Kherson region, Russian troops have created an extensive network of underground fortifications and tunnels, which they use to covertly move personnel and equipment.

Андрій Колісніченко