Russia planned to enter Odesa and cut off Ukraine from the Black Sea—Syrsky

This was reported by the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyy.

According to him, the enemy sought to seize the rest of the territory of Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhya regions, the right-bank part of Kherson Region, and also planned to enter Odessa. Such a scenario was intended to completely cut Ukraine off from the Black Sea.

We prevented critical breakthroughs of the enemy, disrupted his plans and repeatedly forced to postpone the planned operations, - stressed Syrsky.

The Commander-in-Chief noted that the Ukrainian military worked on the edge of capabilities and inflicted maximum losses on the Russian army. During the year the number of enemy forces was reduced by more than 418 thousand people killed and wounded.

This year proved that we are capable of systematically depleting the enemy and tangibly reducing its potential. The defence forces prevented the aggressor from implementing its plans, preserved strategic positions and laid the foundation for further actions, - stressed the AFU Commander-in-Chief.

Shelling of Odessa region

The south of Ukraine, in particular Odessa and Odessa region, has long been one of Russia's key targets for massive combined strikes. The region has already experienced large-scale power cuts due to the destruction of energy infrastructure. In addition, the enemy systematically attacks port facilities and foreign vessels in the waters of the Black Sea.

As early as 2025, reports were circulating about Russia's intentions to seize Odessa and break through to the borders with Moldova and Romania. In May 2025, a significant part of the communities of the Odessa region was included in the list of territories of possible hostilities.

At the same time, Dmitry Pletenchuk, the speaker of the AFU Naval Forces, stated that the probability of landing a naval landing on the Odessa coast remains extremely low. Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal reported that Russia was trying to damage the Ukrainian economy with strikes on Odessa.