Russia's Unusual Bid to Shield Black Sea Fleet: A Tale of Barged Defenses

The numerous embarrassments of the Russian Black Sea Fleet have led the Russians to try to protect their ships in the last major Black Sea port – Novorossiysk. To make it difficult for Ukrainians to attack using unmanned sea drones, they have resorted to an unusual method.

One of the pillars of ancient Byzantium was a secure port in Constantinople. A physical barrier protected it from enemy ships – a huge chain stretched across the Golden Horn harbour bay entrance.

More than half a millennium later, the Russians are reaching for a similar method, attempting to protect the last large Black Sea port, which remains – for now – a relatively safe place for their ships. This port is Novorossiysk, located on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, slightly south of the Kerch Strait.

According to Defence 24, instead of a chain, the Russians plan to use several large barges, which—in case of a threat—will be moved to block the entrance to the port and prevent the ships stationed there from exiting.

The Russians are looking for an improvised solution, though physical barriers already protect the port basins. However, their manufacturer is a company from Israel, which most likely does not want to share its solutions with Russia.

As a result, the approximately 270-metre entrance to the port will likely be covered by four barges currently gathered nearby. This solution is risky because the barges must have a crew on board during their reallocation, who risk their lives in the event of an attack by unmanned sea drones.

The risk for the remaining ships is also associated with a drone hitting one of the barges – if it sinks at the entrance to the port, it may partially block the units inside it. As noted by Maksymilian Dura from Defence 24, the last theoretically safe base of the Russian navy on the Black Sea is slowly becoming a trap for it.