Ukrainian aviation struck the tanker "Mechanic Pogodin," which was used by the Russian forces.
This was reported by the Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykola Oleshchuk.
Oleshchuk stated that as a result of the aviation strike, a Russian command post located on the stranded vessel was hit.
Considering the use of aviation, the accuracy of the strike, and the extensive damage caused by a powerful explosion, it can be speculated that the strike was carried out using either an American JDAM guided bomb or a French AASM, reports Militarny.
The "Mechanic Pogodin" is located on the left bank of the Kherson region, 2.5 kilometers from the village of Vynohradne in Skadovsk district.
The attention to the damaged tanker is not only due to its role in the current hostilities but also because of its history dating back to 2018. At that time, the Russian vessel was detained in the port of Kherson by Ukrainian law enforcement agencies.
According to Boris Babin, the permanent representative of the President of Ukraine in Crimea, the vessel was on the sanctions list of the National Security and Defense Council, and it was "identified and documented" by the Security Service of Ukraine.
After the occupation of Kherson in 2022, the Russians attempted to remove the sanctioned tanker but failed, running aground in the process.
Since then, the vessel has been located near the settlement of Vynohradne and, after the de-occupation of the right-bank Kherson region, it ended up in the so-called "gray zone" between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Russian forces.
It is quite probable that the ship was used by Russian units on the left bank as a fortified object for the placement of radio-electronic reconnaissance and observation equipment.
