The ships and boats of the Russian Black Sea Fleet have, in fact, not been going out to sea for nearly half a year, and the fleet has been unable to fully perform its functions for much longer than that.
Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, spoke about this on the air.
According to him, the Russian fleet has been unable to fully carry out its missions for over two years—ever since it was forced to leave its main naval base in occupied Crimea. After that, Russian ships still went out to sea for missile launches, but their capabilities were limited.
Currently, Novorossiysk remains the main base for the Russian Black Sea Fleet. However, this port is also not safe for the Russians.
According to Pletenchuk, the Ukrainian Defense Forces regularly strike the enemy’s military infrastructure, particularly targets in the port.
Despite the strengthening of Novorossiysk’s defenses, Russian forces continue to suffer losses there. The port is used for missile launches approximately one to three times a month. Last month, “Kalibr” cruise missiles were launched twice from naval platforms there.
See also: Russia’sBlack Sea Fleet Suffers New Losses Following Ukrainian Attack
Pletenchuk also noted that Russia faces serious problems with ship repairs. In the Azov-Black Sea region, there are virtually no other bases or repair facilities left for its fleet. As a result, ships in need of maintenance cannot undergo the necessary repairs. This applies, in particular, to submarines.
Ірина Глухова