“The UK just sent a bunch of land-launched Harpoons to be emplaced at Odessa. If the Russian Navy wants to test them out that would be right neighborly of them!”
**************************************************************************
Yes and that is one of many reasons why the Russians, if they decide to try to take Odessa and environs in southwest Ukraine, would NOT try to have an amphibious invasion. There are other options with fewer and lesser risks.
I’m not saying the Russians will attempt to take Odessa and the remainder of Ukraine’s Black Sea coastal regions. I’m simply saying that the now demonstrated and obviously continuing danger to its Black Sea fleet (by having Ukrainian forces present in the coastal regions) give the Russians a strong rationale to do so.
Russia/Putin wants Odessa anyway so any actions by Ukraine to better defend the city are in the best interests of Ukraine. At this point I don’t think the Ukrainians are worried that a strong defense is going to upset the people who want to kill them.