The Russian fleet is withdrawing from Crimea. It may already be too late
Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the reign of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the Crimea region has come to an end. Additional ships are being withdrawn by the invaders and directed to safer regions. The latest weapon deliveries for Kyiv, including long-range missiles, according to the President of Ukraine, may mean even greater problems for Russian ships.
9:19 AM EDT, October 26, 2023
- The Russian fleet is no longer capable of operating in the western part of the Black Sea and is gradually withdrawing from Crimea - said Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Russian Black Sea Fleet significantly reduced
The initial attacks of the Ukrainians on Russian ships did not produce measurable effects. Over time, however, this began to change. The defending army came into possession of, among other things, Sea Baby drones with a large range and the ability to carry even 1850 pounds of explosives. It was these that were used to assault the Crimean Bridge and several Russian units, including the project 22160 ships, of which the Russians have only four.
The Black Sea Fleet also suffered significant losses during the air attack on the shipyard in Sevastopol. The Russian submarine and a Project 775 (Ropucha) landing ship were seriously damaged, excluding them from further activities. Both were undergoing minor repairs. The Ukrainians took full advantage of this moment, and they used Storm Shadow maneuvering missiles provided by Great Britain for the attack. Thanks to them, targets as far as about 311 miles away can be attacked.
The SCALP-EG missiles, which are being supplied to Ukraine by France, have the same range. On October 17 Eastern Time, Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the receipt of ATACMS tactical missiles from the United States. This is another long-range weapon (up to 186 miles, although variants with a range of up to 99 miles were included in this batch) in the Ukrainians' arsenal.
The Russians plan to establish a new naval base
Ukrainian intelligence reported that even before confirming the delivery of ATACMS to Ukraine, the mere news about efforts to acquire this weapon prompted the Russians to evacuate the base in Sevastopol.
The ships stationed there will most likely end up in the new Russian naval base in Abkhazia - a separatist region of Georgia. In the area of the city of Ochamchira, work related to the deepening of the port and the reconstruction of part of the infrastructure has already been noticed.
- The Russian leader was recently forced to mention the creation of a new Black Sea Fleet base - more precisely, its remnants - on the occupied territory of Georgia (...), as far away as possible from Ukrainian missiles and drones. However, we will reach them everywhere - added Zelenski
Ukrainians have been working on a weapon for some time now, which would have a range of up to about 621 miles. Such an arsenal would allow an attack on a base in Abkhazia from territories under Kiev's control.
