Russian Navy moving combat-capable warships farther away from Crimea - military spox
After Ukraine’s successful strikes targeting Russian Navy’s assets near the coast of occupied Crimea, the invaders opted for dispersing the remaining fleet and moving the warships as far away from Crimea as possible.
That’s according to Serhiy Bratchuk, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Volunteer Army South, who spoke with Channel 24, Ukrinform reports.
As he noted, recently the situation in the Black Sea has become more and more alarming for Russia.
The damage that the Ukrainian missiles and drones inflicted on the Russian warships is so critical that it will take years to restore the affected assets. In order to protect the vessels that are still intact, the Russians are moving them away from the occupied peninsula.
Recent powerful strikes targeting large landing ships have had a significant impact on the invading force as it is this type of transport that they massively used to haul ammunition, weapons, and equipment.
"Strikes are great. But look at this nuance: they were successful in the most protected naval fortresses of the Black Sea Fleet, namely in Sevastopol," Bratchuk said.
According to him, as of today, the entire Russian Black Sea Fleet is under the fire threat from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which forced the enemy to disperse their ships, moving many closer to Novorossiysk, the port in mainland Russia.
At least three large landing ships were moved to the Sea of Azov, away from their usual Black Sea bases.
“Perhaps they are afraid of another “baby” (Sea Baby is a Ukrainian-made maritime drone used to attack Russian warships in the Black Sea – ed.) because you don’t mess with the babies,” Bratchuk suggested.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry confirmed the destruction of a Russian large landing ship and a submarine in temporarily occupied Sevastopol in the early hours of Wednesday, September 13.
On September 14, the Defense Forces of Ukraine damaged two more Russian patrol ships in the southwestern part of the Black Sea.
As of the morning of September 17, a total of 13 Russian warships were on combat duty in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, with no missile carriers among them.