Russia bolsters submarine fleet in Black Sea amid rising threats

Captain Dmytro Pletenchuk, spokesman for the Ukrainian Naval Forces, highlighted recent Russian maneuvers in the Black Sea. According to him, "Russian Navy deployed three submarines armed with cruise missiles at the same time." Pletenchuk sarcastically referenced the number of sunken vessels in the Black Sea Fleet, writing on Facebook that "it is sometimes called a submarine fleet, and that is true."

Captain Pletenchuk reported that Russia had withdrawn the last patrol ship from Crimea in mid-July. Functional units have disappeared from the region, with most being redirected to Novorossiysk and the ports of the Sea of Azov. Ukrainians claim that only vessels in poor technical condition remain in Crimea, including supply ships and landing ships, such as the Ukrainian landing ship "Konstantin Olshansky," seized by the Russians in 2014.

Russians have also relocated ships under construction or repair at the Butoma shipyard in Kerch. Defense Romania notes that they are being towed and moved through inland waters to the Baltic Sea to complete work and conduct sea trials. These measures stem from fears of further Ukrainian attacks.

Attacks using Magura V kamikaze drones, Storm Shadow missiles, RK-360 Neptune missiles, or ATACMS missiles have severely impacted Putin's army, damaging or sinking numerous ships. One of the more spectacular strikes occurred in September 2023, when Ukrainians attacked the landing ship "Minsk" and the submarine "Rostov-on-Don" stationed at the Sevastopol shipyard.

In March 2015, Russians formed the 4th Independent Submarine Brigade in Novorossiysk. Initially, it included a vessel named "Novorossiysk," with other units of project 636.3 "Vashavyanka" joining later, including the aforementioned "Rostov-on-Don." According to Defense Romania, Russia currently has six such submarines in the Black Sea, three of which were reportedly moved closer to Crimea.

Designed specifically for the Russian Black Sea Fleet, project 636.3 submarines, also known as "Vashavyanka," are a modernized version of the Kilo-type submarines. They're 240 feet long with a displacement of about 3,300 tons. These submarines are considered very quiet, making them difficult to detect. "Vashavyankas" are armed with torpedoes and can carry Kalibr cruise missiles, typically with four ready-to-launch. Captain Pletenczuk was likely referring to these missiles.

These missiles can include the 3M14 cruise missiles, designed to target land-based objectives with a range of up to 1,550 miles, or the 3M54 anti-ship missiles with about 125 miles. The 3M14 missiles are 20 feet long and have a warhead weighing 990 pounds. Some sources suggest that the 3M14 may be capable of carrying nuclear warheads. On the other hand, the 3M54 (in the 3M54M1 version) is also 20 feet long but has a warhead weighing over 3,300 pounds.