RBC-Ukraine reports this, citing a statement by Yuriy Ignat, head of the Communications Directorate of the Ukrainian Air Force. According to him, the reason for the constant attacks on the Odesa region is not solely due to its geographic location. The region has an extensive coastline, borders Romania and Moldova, and is one of Ukraine’s key maritime logistics hubs.
“What makes Odesa’s location unique is its long coastline, where a significant number of infrastructure facilities are concentrated. It is also home to a substantial portion of Ukraine’s economic capacity, particularly in maritime logistics,” noted Yuriy Ignat.
This is precisely why Russian forces have recently intensified their combined strikes on the region. For these attacks, they simultaneously use aircraft and missiles launched from the temporarily occupied Crimea, attempting to damage port infrastructure, civilian vessels, and shipping facilities.
To strike the Odesa region, Russia is using X-59 guided air-to-ground missiles, X-31P anti-radar missiles, Onyx and X-22 missiles, as well as Shahed attack drones. In addition, “Gerbera” drones and “Banderole” loitering munitions are being used with increasing frequency.
“These aren’t new weapons. They were simply used less frequently in the past, so they weren’t as noticeable. The frequency of attacks is now quite high, especially in the southern regions of Ukraine,” Ignat explained.
He added that the “Banderol” flies at a speed of about 600 km/h and, in terms of flight characteristics, resembles a cruise missile. That is precisely why Ukrainian air defense forces use the same systems to intercept it as they do against cruise missiles.
Ignat also clarified that such munitions are most often launched from Russian “Orion” drones operating over the Black Sea. It is from there that the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions are regularly attacked.
