Russian fleet retreats: Ukraine cripples Black Sea power
According to British intelligence findings, the defending army has destroyed 25% of the Russian Black Sea Fleet since the start of the war in Ukraine. This information coincides with the unusual movements of the remaining ships in the Black Sea Fleet, which suddenly departed from Novorossiysk.
As a result of many successful Ukrainian operations this summer, the Russian command decided to move the surviving ships from the historic port of Sevastopol to Novorossiysk, located in the eastern part of the Black Sea.
Significant losses of the Black Sea Fleet
Although the list of equipment lost by the Russians in Ukraine includes thousands of different units, destroyed warships and submarines are among the most valuable spoils for Ukrainians. These are generally highly valuable assets that the Russians cannot replace overnight, or even in many months. Among those sunk was the missile cruiser Moskva, serving as the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, which was hit by Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles.
Additionally, an amphibious assault ship of Project 775 (Minsk) and a Kilo-class 877 submarine (Rostov-on-Don) were destroyed. The destroyers of Russian vessels in the Black Sea Fleet turned out to be Storm Shadow/Scalp EG cruise missiles equipped with BROACH (Bomb Royal Ordnance Augmented Charge) warheads, which Ukraine receives from the United Kingdom and France, as well as Ukrainian maritime drones. Sea Baby drones, capable of carrying up to 850 kilograms of explosives, are frequently used, for example.
Russian ships suddenly left Novorossiysk
According to the bulgarianmilitary portal, citing OSINT experts analysing satellite images, most of the remaining ships in the Black Sea Fleet suddenly left Novorossiysk. This sparked numerous speculations since the Russian authorities did not officially declare the reasons for such movements.
Some observers suggest the reason may be the Russians' fear of Ukrainian attacks using long-range weapons. This refers to American ATACMS ballistic missiles and British Storm Shadow cruise missiles, which, due to a change in the approach of the U.S. administration, may be used on a wider scale, including on Russian territory. However, some analysts point out that such Russian movements may be related to exercises in rapid military manoeuvre and unit dispersal, aiming to prepare them for full readiness in the event of signs of an impending enemy attack.
On the pages of bulgarianmilitary, it is noted that regardless of the reasons presented for these Russian movements, this turn of events highlights the continuing weakness of Russian naval forces in the Black Sea.
