The Russian army once again made significant progress on the battlefield in Donbass. It has completely captured and controlled Lisichansk . This place was once considered to be the second Mariupol , but it was quickly captured by the Russian army.
On this day, there is another special meaning for the Ukrainian army. The first Sunday in July is Ukraine Navy Day. On this day, the Ukrainian army was not only defeated in Lisichansk, but the Navy could not survive the day. Not because of the defeat in Lugansk , but because Ukraine no longer has a navy.
Although Ukraine still has some ships, they have almost completely lost their combat effectiveness. And that might not be the worst.
According to the Russian Satellite News Agency, the former commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Vladimir Komoedov, said that the Ukrainian Navy warships either sank or were not in a state of combat readiness, so they did not have a warship to celebrate Navy Day.
Komoedov also pointed out that in the best case scenario, the few remaining armored ships in Ukraine can form a river army. Because at most they can move in the Dnieper River , they can no longer enter the sea.
When the Soviet Union split, the Ukrainian Navy still got a lot of good things. After all, it was the "second brother" of the Soviet Union. Including first-class ships, the Ukrainian Navy still had hundreds of ships of all levels at the end of the last century. However, in about 20 years, the Ukrainian Navy was reduced to a river army.
It is definitely impossible for Ukraine to restore its navy during Russia's special military operations. Judging from the current situation, Ukraine's coastal areas near the Sea of Azov are completely controlled by Russia, and the Ukrainian military's outlets in the Sea of Azov are controlled by the Russian military.
On the Black Sea side, because the Russian army controlled the entire Kherson state, the Ukrainian army also lost the outlet of the Dnieper River. Now the only thing left in Ukraine is the sea outlet from Odessa . However, although the Russian army did not control Odessa, it imposed a blockade on the Ukrainian army. It is unrealistic for the Ukrainian navy to do something from here.
For the Ukrainian Navy, the worst moment has yet to come, because the Russian army’s third phase goal includes Odessa. Once Odessa ends up in the situation of Kherson , Ukraine will lose all its outlets to the sea. It has become a serious " landlocked country ". A "landlocked country" naturally cannot talk about a navy.
As for the river army that the Russian general mentioned, it is quite confusing. The Dnieper River is the mother river of Ukraine. Now that the southern river channel has been controlled by the Russian army, it is indeed necessary to allow warships to enter the river to prevent the Russian army from using the Dnieper River to project troops to Kiev . Of course, if Russia really does this, the resistance of Ukraine's river army can only be symbolic.
At present, the Russian Ministry of Defense has announced complete control of Luhansk, and the second phase of the military operation has achieved a huge victory. It can be seen from the battle of Lisichansk that the Ukrainian army, which was already on the weaker side, has been greatly shaken in morale and has frequently surrendered to the Russian army. A city that was easy to defend and difficult to attack was quickly captured in a short period of time. Got off.
Now that the war has reached this point, the Russian army's next actions will only become more and more smooth, and the third phase of military operations may soon be fully launched.
From the Russian stumbling in the first stage to the overwhelming momentum in the second stage, the Ukrainian army may not be able to stop the Russian offensive.
On the other hand, Ukraine has no power to parry on the frontal battlefield, but it is still thinking about counterattack. The West is losing confidence in Ukraine, providing weapons at an increasingly slower pace, and calling for peace talks more and more. Even though the two summits suppressed some voices for peace, they also greatly "irritated" Russia.
Now NATO has defined Russia as the number one threat, which will indirectly "accelerate" the occupation and give Russia greater determination to achieve its strategic goals.
Previously, Medvedev had said that Russia still had "faint hope" for the West to end its evil deeds. Now it has completely broken its face. The next step is either you die or I live, and the Russian military is bound to take follow-up measures. With a tougher stance and more deterrent actions, Ukraine will be even more difficult to resist.
