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On June 10, Russian forces claimed control over the Kinburn Spit in the Ochakiv district of Mykolaiv Oblast. The distance from the tip of the Spit to the Ochakov is only about 6 km. Thus, the Russian military positions in the spit may serve a foothold for an assault operation as the Russian military may shell the Ukrainian port in Ochakov. The spit goes deep into the sea and actually blocks the Dnieper-Bug estuary. This means that any vessels trying to leave the Dnieper River will be under Russian control.
The Russian advance was confirmed by the drone footage from the Black Sea.
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On June 3, the small anti-submarine ship “Vinnytsia” of the Ukrainian Navy was sunk by Russian forces during the capture of the spit. This corvette was decommissioned in 2021 and was awaiting disposal. However, according to some reports, the Ukrainian military regarded the need for technical restoration of the ship.
The ship was located in the territory of the naval base of the Ukrainian Navy, built in Ochakov by the U.S. The US special operations center, deployed to monitor the Russian operations in the Black Sea and transmit information to the United States and NATO, was reportedly destroyed.
The second ship of the Ukrainian Navy located in Ochakov in order to contain the potential offensive of Russian forces, was urgently evacuated to Odessa. It was the medium landing ship “Yuri Olefirenko” which was shelled during the evacuation. Junjing by the footage, the ship managed to leave the area undammaged.
Falling of the Kinburn Spit under Russian control is of great strategic importance. It may mark the upcoming Russian assault on the Ochakov oprt and further advance towards the city of Mykolaiv from the south.
