Risk of Russian amphibious landings still present, say Odesa authorities
Russian invaders may still attempt an amphibious landing on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, warned Odesa military administration speaker Serhiy Bratchuk, in a statement released on March 14.
The speaker added that the Ukrainian military is prepared for both aerial and land-based assaults.
“We reiterate that there is still a risk of amphibious landings on the coast of Odesa, so no updates were given the day before,” Bratchuk noted.
“The enemy is cruel, cunning, and wants to attack us. We welcome them to hell. If they go ahead with the landing, or strike from the air or from land – we are ready.”
Reports on Mar. 13 suggested that the Russian invaders were planning to land their troops on the territory of Odesa and Odesa Oblast. The Ukrainian military is ready to respond to this; the situation is under control, according to Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, during an interview with Ukrainian TV.
Commenting on this possibility, based on data obtained by the General Staff about the full combat readiness of a Russian naval group to strike from the Black Sea onto the territory of Ukraine, Danilov said that the invaders planned to do this three or four days ago, but due to weather conditions they were forced to leave for the occupied Crimean city of Sevastopol.
Earlier, on Mar. 11, the mayor of Odesa, Hennady Trukhanov, did not rule out that Odesa could be encircled by land and sea, but stated that the city was ready for this.
Odesa has been preparing for a Russian assault on the city since the beginning of the war. On Mar. 6, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the Russian Federation was preparing to bomb Odesa. The Office of the President explained that the leadership of Ukraine cannot guarantee the security of the city from the air until Ukrainian airspace becomes more hostile to Russian bombing runs, or until partner nations deliver Ukraine combat aircraft to combat Russian air assets.
The United States, on the other hand, does not believe in the inevitability of a Russian amphibious landing in or near the southern Ukrainian city, reports Reuters.
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