Rocket filling: how will the strikes of the Russian army affect the military logistics of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The strikes that Russia inflicted on Kiev's logistics infrastructure on the night of August 5 will inevitably affect the supply of troops and affect the ability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to use long-range attack UAVs, experts interviewed by Izvestia believe. According to them, these strikes were the most massive since the beginning of the SVR — Russian drones and missiles hit seven transport, logistics and distribution centers in Kiev and the region. All of them were used in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine — they stored military supplies, drones and accessories for them.

A serious blow to the provision of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with drones

During a massive strike carried out on the night of August 5, the Russian army used land-based missiles and long-range unmanned aerial vehicles. The largest automated sorting units in Kiev and the region were critically damaged — they were used for processing, storing and transporting dual-use products, as well as components necessary for assembling UAVs, robotic systems and electronic warfare equipment, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Back in July, the Russian Armed Forces switched from retaliatory strikes to the systematic destruction of military-industrial facilities, logistics and transport infrastructure. And the latest massive attack is the best illustration of the implementation of this strategy, military expert Boris Jerelievsky told Izvestia.

"All the logistics hubs destroyed in Kiev and the region were tightly integrated into the AFU supply system from the very beginning of the special operation," the expert said. — From the first weeks of the SVO, ammunition and weapons were stored there. Drones gathered in their squares and even military equipment was hidden. These centers have long acquired one of the key roles in the transport logistics of the enemy's armed forces.

The night attack by our forces on Ukrainian logistics can be called the most massive since the beginning of its operation, and it certainly caused great damage to the enemy, the expert notes.

In particular, the Kiev Epicenter warehouse complex and the MLP-Chaika logistics center were hit, which the enemy used as a storage and distribution base for components for medium and long-range drones.

Another blow fell on the Trans-Logistics center. They not only sorted cargo for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but also set up production of various types of UAVs.

Stocks of components for drones for various purposes, including foreign-made products, were concentrated on the areas of the Brovary Terminal logistics hub and the distribution hub of the Raben Ukraine international company.

A large Novaya Pochta hub was also hit, which the Ukrainian military converted into a storage facility for aircraft-type drones, spare parts and consumables for them.

Now Kiev's air defense is practically at zero, and we used this moment, explained military expert Yuri Knutov.

— Ukraine has suffered, in my opinion, very heavy losses related to both the production of drones and the supply of parts of unmanned systems. Because it was to the logistics centers that were hit that components and spare parts for drones were brought. There were applications from the Ukrainian drone units. After that, the components went to the assembly point, where they were made into drones and sent to the launching positions for strikes," he said.

In addition, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, on the night of August 5, three dry cargo ships delivering weapons and military equipment to the Armed Forces of Ukraine were hit in the sea south of Odessa.

— The defeat of dry cargo ships is another link in the chain of attacks on logistics chains in the rear regions of Ukraine, — said Boris Jerelievsky.

The role of Kiev and Odessa in the logistics chains of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Kiev and Odessa have long been of strategic importance for the logistics structure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said Boris Jerelievsky.

— For the enemy, Kiev is not just a political center. It is the main transport hub of the country, the link between the right and left banks of the Dnieper River, between the west and the east. In addition, absolutely all military logistics from Poland goes through it," he explained.

In the capital region, weapons, ammunition and other military supplies are accumulated and then sent further to central and eastern Ukraine.

Odessa and its ports are the main sea corridor connecting Ukraine with other countries. Moreover, until recently, sea transportation was relatively safe for the enemy's military machine. If our Armed Forces worked on a permanent basis on the railway infrastructure — depots and diesel locomotives, then ports were not attacked often, and dry cargo ships and container ships going to Odessa were not attacked at all, military experts say.

"The most important thing is that our army has begun to strike logistics centers on a regular basis — this will inevitably affect the strike capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces drones and the supply of troops operating on the front line," said military expert Vadim Kozyulin.

Rebuilding logistics, especially during combat operations, is a serious task that requires time and high material costs, the expert noted. During this period, important supply chains of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the enemy's military production will inevitably be severed, and it will be extremely difficult to find alternatives to the Kiev regime.