Vladimir Zelensky’s Saturday trip to Berdyansk, a town in the Zaporozhye region on the coast of the Azov Sea, where the military presented the Ukrainian president with a plan for developing a naval base, turned into a scandal. Vigilant “patriots” in Kyiv noticed that the official photos included diagrams of the new base of the “mosquito fleet” - thus, Russia can find out all Ukrainian military secrets.
The new Ukrainian Navy base in Berdyansk is intended to demonstrate Kyiv’s readiness to defend its ports in Azov. Last summer, after the Ukrainians seized the Crimean seiner Nord, the FSB began mass inspections of ships traveling to or from Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov. Stops at sea caused losses for shipowners, a subsequent reluctance to transport cargo to Berdyansk/Mariupol and, as a consequence, loss of income for Ukrainian ports.
“It is very important to have our ships in this place. After all, in this way we will protect our ports, our trade. This is direct help to the economy,” Zelensky confirmed, inspecting the territory where it is planned to transfer existing boats from Nikolaev by 2021, as well as decommissioned Mark VI patrol boats, which Kiev is now waiting to receive from the United States (by the way, it is quite possible that they will try to through the Kerch Strait).
The editor of the “Ukrainian Military Portal” Taras Chmut expressed outrage that Zelensky’s press service published in official photos and videos a diagram of the new base, as well as data on it that is of interest to Russian intelligence.
“On behalf of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the General Staff of Russia, I would like to thank the Office of the President of Ukraine and personally Yulia Mendel for the high-quality leak of information regarding the deployment of the Ukrainian Navy in the Sea of Azov. Thanks to your incompetent work, everyone now knows:
Timing of deployment of the Vostok naval base in Berdyansk;
Where it will be, what kind of berth it will have, and what buildings they plan to transfer;
What kind of ship and boat composition is planned to have;
How many personnel will be on site;
Also, photos of layout plans and plans for the future facility.
Thank you! Thank you very much! Russia doesn’t need to do anything at all, you will provide everything to them,” Chmut sarcastically comments.