Why drones are not shot down over Odesa region – expert explanation

Odesa region and Odesa need new approaches to organizing the air defense system – we should not expect Russian shelling to stop anytime soon. This was reported in comments LIGA.net colonel Vladyslav Selezniov, former spokesman for the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said.

According to him, with drones and missiles, the Russians are trying to do what a Russian landing force would hypothetically do if it landed in Odesa – block Ukrainian logistics. "Russia's goal is to turn Ukraine into a stump of a state, a landlocked country," he said.

To stabilize the situation, he said, the region needs to increase the number of mobile fire groups and teams working with anti-aircraft drones.

"But they are still very poorly staffed," says the former General Staff spokesman. "In addition, for some time, the commander of the Marine Corps, Dmytro Deliatytskyi, and the commander of the Navy Oleksiy Neizhpapa. "For several months, we could not resolve a bureaucratic dispute and allocate people to implement the project to cover Odesa with anti-aircraft drones.

One of the officers involved in the implementation of the "drone air defense" project in Odesa confirms LIGA.net combat orders to transfer people were not signed for about two months. "In the end, people were released, but the delay in transfers increased the preparation time," says the source.

According to Seleznev, announced the President's decision to change the commander of the Air Command "South" is insufficient for effective defense of the Ukrainian coast. It is necessary to completely reformat the approaches to the work of all units of the Defense Forces involved in this defense.

• Since 2022, Major General Dmytro Karpenko has been the commander of the PMC "South".
• Earlier, Zelensky also said that will discuss with Syrsky the fate of those responsible for air defense.
• The occupiers have been massively attacking the region's energy and infrastructure facilities in recent weeks. In particular, on December 18 russians strike with a drone at a car driving across a bridge near the village of Mayaki – a woman died from her injuries and her three children were hospitalized. The attack blocked the highway in the area of the Dniester estuary.