The last defense against losing an outlet on the Black Sea is the resistance that is taking place in the port city of Odessa. Ukrainians show pictures of the former Harpoon supplied by NATO countries, anti-ship systems intended to expand coastal defense. With a radius of about 150 kilometers, they represent a pitfall for invaders: the Black Sea Fleet in fact keeps surface units at a safe distance and relies above all on class submarines. Kilo, launch platforms for cruise ships Kalibr.
Kiev had only a few copies of Neptune, locally produced, capable of covering a distance of 280 kilometers. Thanks to the Neptune, the forces of Kiev managed to sink the flagship of the Russian fleet located in the Black Sea, the Moslcva.
The Russian fleet had to retreat many nautical miles to avoid other unpleasant surprises, however garrisoning the island of the snakes where it has positioned missile positions capable of hitting Odessa.
The Russians have also reinforced their anti-aircraft positions, managing to counter the incursions of the Ukrainians, thanks to the air superiority still firmly in the hands of the aviation.
Now, however, the Ukrainians have the Harpoon, ordnance sold by Norway and Great Britain. The Russian Navy's counter-move to the Harpoon threat could be the placement of the Vasily Bykov-class corvette carrying a Tor anti-aircraft launcher, usually used on the ground.
Mine issue. Moscow claims that the naval blockade is caused by Western sanctions and by the thousands of floating devices that the Ukrainians have planted at sea to defend their coasts.
Russia is ready to guarantee trade corridors in the Black Sea, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, but only if Kiev clears its shores: "The ball is in their field ”.
The Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Economy Taras Kachka, in response to Lavrov said that the problem is not the mines - essential to protect Odessa: the Ukrainians do not trust - but the Russian warships that hinder exports. And if an (unlikely) deal is ever reached, they say in Kiev, it would take at least six months - and specialized equipment - to clean up the coasts.