Ukraine Navy assesses consequences of Black Sea Fleet commander’s death

That’s according to Dmytro Pletenchuk, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy, who spoke on the air of the national telethon, Ukrinform reports.

"You need to understand the mechanism. It’s clear that, conditionally, Putin doesn’t directly control the warships at sea as he has appropriate admirals who are perfectly aware of their forces, equipment, personnel, and how to properly control them. At this moment, they lose the man who manages this whole process - and with him, his staff that also manages the fleet. It must be understood that this is a very large group. Imagine that part of this mechanism simply becomes inoperable. Therefore, as of now, they will really have corresponding problems with controlling their troops," said Pletenchuk.

He noted that the reports are yet to be verified whether the entire command was present at the HQ at the moment of the strike  or not but usually, it’s all top leaders who gather for meetings there. According to the official, the group included at least the chief of staff and one of the deputies.

Pletenchuk noted that the Russians had very limited maneuverability in the Black Sea even before that.

"They mostly use carriers of long-range weapons, guided missiles. Accordingly, fewer than 10 units are involved," the spokesman emphasized.

According to him, the changes won’t be noticeable right away.

"Now someone will be transferred to the Black Sea Fleet to manage everything, but before these people enter the system and understand the situation, it will take them some time so they will lose efficiency," he added.

As reported by Ukrinform, 34 Russian officers were killed by the Ukrainian missile strike on the Black Sea Fleet command, including the fleet commander, according to Ukraine’s military.