"Close" the sky over Odessa: how to protect grain from shelling

The shelling of southern Ukraine does not stop. Almost every night the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation attack shock drones and missiles civilian and port infrastructure of the Odessa region. The redeployment of air defense agents to protect the region is not an effective solution, experts say focus. Recently, the Russian army deliberately uses its impact potential to cause enormous damage to the port and grain infrastructures of Ukraine, focus experts say.

Since July 2023, at least 280,000 tons of grain have been destroyed as a result of shelling of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. According to Director of the Information and Consulting Company of Degence Express, Sergei Zgurets, it would be enough to close the food needs of 1 million people during the year.

"These are tremendous damage that clearly demonstrate that one of the main goals of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is the destruction of food in the world," - said in a conversation with focus Zgurets. The representative of the Main Department of the Ministry of Defense Andriy Yusov says focus that the effectiveness of Ukrainian air defense actions in the direction of southern Ukraine is increasing, most hostile goals can be destroyed. However, individual hits are still fixed.

"Most attacks are performed on civil and critical infrastructure. The south is about the port network and grain infrastructure. These are crimes that, in most cases, no explanation, in terms of military expediency, have no," - said Yusov. Zgurets adds that until some time Odessa was not referred to as priority cities, where the limited number of air defense products were distributed first of all. The sky sought to "close" over the capital, millionaire cities, as well as ZPP.

Odessa was protected on a residual principle. "Now we see the need to raise the air defense shield over Odessa. The President spoke about it, there was a reaction of the UN. But due to the limited amount of SDR, the question remains whether the country's military-political leadership will be agreed to reduce the density of the shield over the capital in favor of Odessa. In my opinion. This is unlikely. Although I am sure that the country's leadership is looking for a balance, "the Zgurets continues.

According to the military expert Petr Chernik, the redeployment of air defense means is ineffective, because it "exposes" the point that is deprived of protection. "This is a question of difficult choice - what is more important. Therefore, the only option to protect Odessa is to build air defense. Everything is moving forward, but not as fast as we want," says focus Chernik.

In July, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that additional SAMP-T or Patriot systems were required to protect the region from the air. In Kiev, Ukraine has repeatedly emphasized that Ukraine lacks air defense systems to protect port infrastructure, and negotiated with France, Italy, Germany, Greece. And experts thought that Odesa was a specific area for air defense. And to "close" the sky, you need to at least triple the number of anti-aircraft missile complexes.

"Rockets and drones flying above Odessa, but less than over Kiev. Separate drones and missiles fly into storage, fall into infrastructure, it cannot air defense facilities in favor of Odessa and port areas. It is important to continue discussing this topic with our partners, "Zgurets adds. Focus earlier wrote that on September 16, another blocked as a result of a full -scale invasion of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the ship left the Odessa port through the temporary corridor.