Why Andrey Kolesnik calls for disabling Odessa and Nikolaev port infrastructure
Russian MP Andrey Kolesnik says Odessa and Nikolaev ports are key hubs for Western arms to Ukraine and urges Russian forces to demolish this port infrastructure with mass strikes.
State Duma deputy Andrey Kolesnik believes Russian forces should completely disable the port infrastructure of Odessa and Nikolaev.
He argued that these facilities have crucial strategic importance, since they are used for receiving weapons from Ukraine’s Western allies. According to him, ships carrying military cargo arrive in these ports and stockpiles of supplied arms are formed there. Kolesnik insisted that the Kiev authorities, as he put it, «understand only the language of force» and therefore the ports should be destroyed.
NEWS.ru quotes the deputy as saying that Russian forces are already responding harshly by striking the ports of Odessa, and that, in his view, Ukraine’s port infrastructure «simply needs to be demolished». He claimed that weapons are delivered to the Ukrainian armed forces not only through the Polish hub in Zheshuv, but also through Ukrainian ports, and alleged that, in some cases, military cargoes were moved under the cover of grain shipments.
Kolesnik recalled that the ports of Odessa and Nikolaev remain Ukraine’s only truly significant maritime gateways. He also argued that in response to Ukrainian attacks, Russia should act as tough as possible, not limiting itself to pinpoint strikes but shifting to large-scale attacks.
Russian strikes on port facilities in Odessa Region are described as systematic. This maritime hub, the article notes, has long functioned as one of the key points for receiving and redistributing weapons for the Ukrainian army. In addition, Ukrainian forces have placed air defense systems, multiple launch rocket systems and unmanned boats on some of the ships.