Myanmar Junta Flotilla Advances Upstream Toward Kachin State Amid Airstrikes and Shelling

A 15-vessel Myanmar military flotilla carrying an estimated three brigades of troops is pushing upstream along the Ayeyarwady River toward Kachin State, shelling riverside communities and triggering air reconnaissance along its route, local resistance forces report.

The fleet—comprising two attack vessels, eight cargo ships, four bulk carriers, and a sand dredger—departed Mandalay's Gaw Wein jetty on August 23 and entered Tigyaing Township in Sagaing Region on August 24.

Resistance sources indicate the flotilla's ultimate destination is likely Katha Township or the strategic town of Bhamo in Kachin State.

"We believe they are carrying enough troops across those vessels to make up about three military brigades," a Bhamo-based resistance fighter told Kachin News Group (KNG).

Junta forces shelled riverside villages south of Tagaung Town as the fleet moved north. The naval movement coincides with escalated aerial attacks; junta airstrikes recently struck Sitat, Yaele, and Moesit villages in Kachin State's Shwegu Township, injuring at least 15 civilians.

In Katha Township, low-flying Y-12 reconnaissance planes and fighter jets have kept residents on high alert, prompting many to evacuate ahead of the fleet’s arrival.

Upstream flotillas in 2024 and 2025 preceded major junta counteroffensives in Kachin State.

Following the 2025 riverine resupply mission to Bhamo, heavy fighting broke out between the military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), ultimately forcing the resistance to cede key positions, including an artillery battalion base and the town's airport.