The Air Force destroyed a Russian tanker near the Kinburn Spit

Russian tanker tanker «Mechanic Pogodin». Photo from the page of the Navy of Ukraine

On March 11, 2024, thanks to a successful strike, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed the tanker under the flag of the Russian Federation «Mechanic Pogodin», which was used by the Russians as a control point, in the area of the Kinbur spit.

This was reported in the Naval Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

«The tanker belonged to the Russian company VEB — Leasing OJSC (St. Petersburg), which was included in the sanctions list. Pursuant to the Decree of the President of Ukraine «On the decision of the NSDC dated May 2, 2018 «On the application and cancellation of economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions)» and according to the decision of the Kherson District Administrative Court in August 2018, the tanker «Mechanic Pogodin» was arrested until the summer of 2023 year was located on the territory of the Kherson seaport,» the report says.

Subsequently, after the Russians blew up the Kakhovska HPP on June 6, 2023, the tanker washed ashore on the temporarily occupied Kinburn Spit. Later, the Russians deployed an observation post on it for conducting reconnaissance, as well as EW devices. The ship was periodically used as a platform for striking FPV drones on the territory of the Kherson region.

The Ukrainian military destroyed the Russian tanker «Mechanic Pogodin». Photo from the page of the Navy of Ukraine

The Ukrainian military destroyed the Russian tanker «Mechanic Pogodin». Photo from the page of the Navy of Ukraine

What's happening at Kinburn?

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, the territory of the Kinburn Spit has been occupied by the Russian military. Actually, from there, the Russians have been shelling Ochakiv and Kutsurub communities of the Mykolaiv region for more than a year.

Until now , only three settlements located on the territory of the Kinburn spit remain occupied in the Mykolaiv region. These are the following settlements:

• the village of Vasylivka. Before the full-scale war, the population was 382;

• the village of Pokrovka. Before the full-scale war, the population was 229 people;

• the village of Pokrovske. Before the full-scale war, the population was 177 people.

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Currently, the Defense Forces of Ukraine continue combat operations against the occupiers there. In particular, the Ukrainian defenders struck the area of concentration of Russian manpower, weapons and equipment on the spit, and also destroyed the Russian invaders and enemy equipment there

Vitaliy Kim, the head of Mykolaiv RMA, said that the release of the Kinburn spit is a matter of time, «and not a very long one». This was also confirmed by the speaker of the Defense Forces of the South, Nataliia Humeniuk.

At the same time, the Russian occupiers continue to shell and mine the protected territory of the Kinburn Peninsula. Almost daily, wild animals are blown up by landmines there, and there are cases of human casualties. This is stated in the article by NikVesti «On the verge of destruction: How the protected Kinburn spit suffers from the actions of the occupiers».

During the entire period of occupation, forests on the Kinburn spit occasionally burned. The situation is usually complicated by the fact that the Russian occupiers did not allow rescuers to put out the fire, so fires can last for weeks. At the same time, as noted in RMA, Mykolaiv Oblast cannot help extinguish fires there, as all fire departments and equipment that can get there are located in the occupied territories of Kherson Oblast.

The red book orchids, other unique plants and animals were under threat because of the fires in Kinburn, reported the ombudsman Liudmyla Denisova.

After the deoccupation, the Kinburn spit will need time to restore nature on its own, reported in «Biloberezhja Svyatoslav». This will take place during the period while demining of the protected area continues.

Currently, according to preliminary estimates of the Ukrainian authorities , about 200 people live on the occupied Kinburn Spit, but contact with them has been completely lost.

Major General of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Dmytro Marchenko said that the temporarily occupied Kinburn spit in the Mykolayiv region is currently included in the complex of measures for offensive operations.