Ukrainian Navy units strike dozens of Russian military facilities in 2024 – Neizhpapa

Vice Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa, Commander of the Ukrainian Navy, said this in a post on Facebook, according to Ukrinform.

"I held a meeting to review the results of the Ukrainian Navy's operations in 2024. We discussed the outcomes of combat operations, port and coastal defense, mine countermeasures, the functioning of the sea corridor, air defense, personnel training, and more," Neizhpapa wrote.

He said that the Ukrainian Navy continued to defend the country and use all available resources to target and diminish Russia's military capabilities.

"Over the past year, missile units and naval unmanned systems have carried out dozens of successful strikes on around 50 enemy military facilities, including those in temporarily occupied Crimea. These targets included military airfields, ammunition depots, facilities to store fuel and other military equipment, Shahed production and storage sites, air defense and surveillance systems, as well as Russian military-industrial logistics hubs and enterprises," Neizhpapa added.

He also highlighted the success of aviation reconnaissance. Over the past year, reconnaissance aircraft flew nearly 700 hours and identified around 400 enemy targets.

"These intelligence findings formed the foundation for planning our combat operations. This underscores the importance of integrating new technologies and expanding the use of unmanned systems for both reconnaissance and strike missions. Moreover, a significant increase in the number of trained UAV pilots --  a sevenfold rise compared to the previous year --  has allowed us to more effectively deploy these capabilities," Neizhpapa said.

He also pointed out that the Navy's operations significantly hampered Russia's use of its main naval base in temporarily occupied Sevastopol, Crimea. As a result, the Russian Black Sea Fleet was forced to relocate most of its warships, including all Kalibr missile carriers, to Novorossiysk. Ukrainian forces have also disrupted Russian naval maneuvering in the Sea of Azov, pushing them back to bases in the Krasnodar Territory.

"The functioning of the sea corridor and stable vessel traffic has been maintained, enabling the export of millions of tonnes of Ukrainian grain, which supports our economy and contributes to global food security," Neizhpapa said.

Neizhpapa outlined key objectives for the coming year, with a focus on ensuring high-quality training for military personnel, which he described as crucial to preserving lives. The continued search for and destruction of enemy targets remains a top priority.

"Our goal is to weaken the enemy's combat potential as much as possible," Neizhpapa concluded.