Strange movements of Russian ships. It seems that they are afraid of something
Russian military units, which are operating in the Black Sea, have for some time not approached the territory of Ukraine controlled by the authorities in Kiev. Hostile ships remain at a safe distance, which is at least 100 nautical miles (approx. 115 miles) from the Ukrainian coast - such information was provided by Natalia Humeniuk, spokeswoman for the Ukrainian forces in the south of the country.
According to her words, the aggressor's troops do not have the courage to cross the line, conventionally marked by the Tarkhankut Peninsula in the west of the occupied Crimea. Ships and boats of the Black Sea Fleet, according to her observations, are practically no longer heading towards Ukraine's territorial sea. They occasionally appear off the coast of Crimea, but do not cross territorial borders - informed Humeniuk during her appearance on Ukrainian television.
Are the Russians just flexing their muscles?
- The enemy is trying (now) to demonstrate their superiority in the Black Sea with the help of tactical aviation - added the representative of the Ukrainian armed forces.
Humeniuk reminded that last year, during the initial months of the Russian invasion, the aggressor's ships were approaching the Odesa region at artillery shooting distance. The situation changed after the Ukrainians sank the missile cruiser Moscow in April 2022. From that moment, the Russian navy began operating on waters at least 100 nautical miles from the coast.
The Russian Black Sea Fleet has already suffered heavy losses
Humeniuk noted that the two most important bases of the Black Sea Fleet are located in Sevastopol on the occupied Crimea and in Novorossiysk in the Krasnodar Territory. In June of this year, Ukrainian military portals reported that enemy units, concerned about their safety, began to operate on the principle of "pendulum movement" in the Black Sea, moving between the main bases.
The spokesperson for the Ukrainian forces emphasized that the greatest loss suffered by the Russian Navy during the war with Ukraine occurred in April 2022, when the missile cruiser Moscow - the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet - was sunk. According to official Kremlin information, one crew member died on the cruiser and 27 were classified as missing. The actual number of casualties was probably much higher. The ship had entered service in 1983. It was 186.4 meters long and 20.8 meters wide, with a displacement of over 12 thousand tons. It reached a maximum speed of 32 knots (about 60 km/h). It was mainly designed to counter aircraft carriers.
After the sinking of Moscow, the role of the largest unit on the Black Sea was taken over by the landing ship Piotr Morgunow, which the Russians have found an unusual use for - they use it as a ferry.
In September of this year, Ukrainians carried out an air raid on the shipyard in Sevastopol. As a result, the Black Sea Fleet was reduced by two more vessels - a submarine and a Project 775 (Ropucha) landing ship. The latter belongs to the machines which still form the core of the Russian landing fleet and are significant from the point of view of the balance of power on the Black Sea. They were produced in the Gdansk Northern Shipyard until the end of the 80s. They are about 115 m long and have a cargo deck with an area of as much as 600 square meters.
