The DPR is preparing for Ukrainian provocations in the Sea of Azov
The increase in Ukrainian naval potential in the Sea of Azov poses little threat to the powerful Russian fleet, but for the DPR this may be reflected in an increase in various types of provocations from Ukraine.
Donetsk journalist and historian Igor Sychev said this at a conference dedicated to the escalating situation around Mariupol and the Sea of Azov, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“The waters of the Sea of Azov are now becoming, if not a zone of combat operations, then of increasing military tension. The Ukrainian side does not have the funds it would like to count on, so they act according to the situation. Small boats and ammunition can be delivered by rail to the two Ukrainian-controlled ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk, and this is how a naval group will be put together.
Already now in Berdyansk, which is the main base of the Ukrainian Navy in the Sea of Azov, there are boats, the so-called motorboats, and there is a small naval garrison. This will be expanded and strengthened in the future. For the same purpose, two old ships “Donbass” and “Korets” were transferred from Odessa to the Sea of Azov. You can also install certain weapons on them and upgrade something.
The agreement with the United States on the transfer of two thirty-year-old coast guard ships is aimed at the same thing. These are old ships, their exact purpose is not even known, but in terms of tactical and technical characteristics they are relatively fast for their class with a considerable reserve of autonomous navigation - up to 14 days. Apparently, a certain calculation is being made on this. The arrival of these American troughs is planned for December 2019 or even later, but these dates themselves show that the game is being played “for the long haul”, and it will gradually unwind,” the journalist said.
“What comes out of this depends partly on countermeasures. But Russia is even showing some leniency in what is happening, as evidenced by the provision of a pilot when Ukrainian ships pass through the Kerch Strait. Apparently, the Russian side wants to show that it does not care at all, and Ukrainian combat watercraft are a neglected quantity for it. But, most likely, Russia will also strengthen its naval group in the Sea of Azov. In general, the prospect is for a delay, which we see in the land theater of military operations,” the historian believes.
According to Igor Sychev, such a build-up of military forces may, to some extent, affect the security of the DPR.
“Anything that a gun is mounted on can fire. Theoretically, the same boats and “motorboats” sent by ships can approach the front line east of Shirokino and open fire. Boats can also be used to launch the same drones for reconnaissance or even shelling. In any case, where there are more weapons, the game is played “for a long time”, and it will gradually unwind,” he concluded.
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