In a missile attack initiated by Ukraine, a Russian naval reconnaissance vessel and a seized large landing ship were targeted, as articulated by Ukraine’s navy. These vessels, the Konstantin Olshansky large landing ship and the Ivan Khurs reconnaissance vessel, were claimed by Russia during its annexation of Crimea in 2014.
According to Ukraine’s navy, the assault involved a Neptune anti-ship missile and resulted in considerable damage which is still being evaluated by Kyiv. Naval spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk confirmed on national TV that the Konstantin Olshansky is currently unfit for combat and that the reconnaissance vessel was similarly incapacitated.
As of yet, Russia has not commented on the incident. It should be noted that Ukraine’s targeted missile attacks, using naval drones and missiles, have continually impaired Russia’s Black Sea Fleet over the course of the war.
Earlier this month, Russia acknowledged these concerns indirectly, by appointing a new head for their navy. This despite Ukraine lacking their own large-scale warships.
The Konstantin Olshansky, initially a Ukrainian ship, was confiscated by Russia, along with other significant naval assets, during the Crimea clash in 2014. Pletenchuk revealed that Russia repurposed the parts of this vessel for other landing ships, however, Ukraine’s progressive attacks resulted in a deficit and impelled Russia to restore this ship for service over the past year.
Pletenchuk also shared that over the weekend, the Yamal and Azov warships were similarly targeted and have since been conveyed for repairs. Of Russia’s total 13 large landing ships, four have been annihilated, an equal number currently undergoing repairs, and the remainder being operationally fit.
Ukraine’s strategic struggle in the Black Sea holds significant value due to its role as a critical conduit for its grain, metal, and other export trades to global markets. This is despite Russia’s attempts to enforce an unofficial sea blockade. Despite Russia’s occupation of parts of Ukraine’s southern territories, the country retains control over several hundreds of kilometres of Black Sea coastline.
In another context, Ukraine’s head of state, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, recently reshuffled key positions. The National Security Council’s secretary was sacked and replaced with the chief of his foreign espionage agency. These changes follow a prior restructure last month of the top military command. The reasoning behind the alterations, delivered through plainly-phrased decrees, was not disclosed by the president’s website. These managerial moves occur amidst Russia’s ongoing large-scale invasion, which has been in progress for over two years.
After taking office in October 2019, the former secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, Oleksiy Danilov, has been reassigned, with his new role to be announced later. Though Zelenskiy did not specify the reasons for Danilov’s relocation, he expressed anticipation for a boost in the country’s strategic abilities to anticipate and sway processes vital to national security.
Zelenskiy appointed Oleksandr Lytvynenko, a relatively unknown 51-year-old chief of the foreign intelligence service, as the new leader of the council. According to Zelenskiy, his appointee will utilise his experience to address the security and defence challenges facing Ukraine.
The council—which includes the country’s highest-ranking political, security, and defence officials—serves a coordinating function in matters of national security and defence under the president’s command. Amid the ongoing battle against Russian encroachment in the east, Ukraine is struggling to sustain its war efforts and maintain its defences. The valuable alliance with the US is somewhat hampered due to resistance from Republican congress members preventing military aid. Military experts are questioning the robustness and extent of Ukrainian defences while viewing manpower as another hurdle given Russia’s significantly larger population and offensive position.
In a series of decrees, Ukrainian leader Mr Zelenskiy appointed Oleh Ivashchenko, a relatively obscure deputy leader of the country’s military intelligence organisation, to be the new chief of foreign intelligence. Zelenskiy had previously reshuffled the military hierarchy in February, making significant changes to the armed forces’ leadership, replacing many high-ranking military officials. This was reported by Reuters.