Ukraine deals heavy blow to Russian Black Sea fleet

Since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian armed forces have dismantled one-fourth of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, including the flagship cruiser "Moskva," as informed by the British Ministry of Defense and quoted by the Polish Press Agency.

In the latest intelligence report, the British Ministry of Defense stated that the persistent attacks by the Ukrainian army have forced the Russian fleet to relocate its units from the historic port of Sevastopol to Novorossiysk, situated in the eastern part of the Black Sea.

Despite the losses, the Black Sea Fleet actively supports the ground operations of Russian forces, including launching various types of missiles, the Ministry of Defense noted.

In April 2022, the fleet's flagship, the missile cruiser "Moskva," sank in the Black Sea. It was hit by two Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles, resulting in an explosion and a fire on board.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, attacking from the north, east, and south, while unsuccessfully attempting to capture Kyiv. In April of that year, Russian troops were expelled from northern Ukraine, including the Kyiv region.

During the fall counteroffensive, Ukrainian forces reclaimed some territories occupied in the south and east of the country, including the Kharkiv, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions. However, the counteroffensive that began in June 2023 did not achieve significant successes.

At present, the war is largely positional, with fighting concentrated in key areas of the Donbas, as well as the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. These are likely to be the central topics of potential peace talks.