Mines, missiles and explosive boats

The war in Ukraine, which began with Russia's invasion in 2022, is primarily a land war. Nevertheless, it is worth taking a look at its maritime aspects.

The Russian fleet had two tasks at the start of the Ukraine War in 2022: Firstly, it was to support the advance of the land forces in the Black Sea. It did this in particular between Kherson and Melitopol by transporting troops and supplies. The second main task was to threaten Odessa with amphibious forces in order to tie up strong Ukrainian forces there. The aim of the operations was to capture the entire coast of the Black Sea, from Kherson to Odessa.

The Ukraine's first priority was to prevent an amphibious landing near Odessa. This objective was to be achieved by laying minefields and deploying land-based anti-ship missiles.
Russia used its fleet to support operations on land from the outset. On 24 February 2022, Russian troops occupied Snake Island, while Russian ships blockaded the Ukrainian coast.