Ukraine announced the disabling of 1/3 of the Russian Black Sea Fleet ships

Russian warships in the Black Sea (Photo: New York Times).

"The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced that our troops have neutralized 24 Russian ships and one submarine," the Directorate of Strategic Communications of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced on Telegram on February 6.

“Public information shows that the Russian Black Sea Fleet had a total of 74 warships at the beginning of the conflict,” the statement added.

Earlier, Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesman for the Ukrainian navy, said that Russia had lost up to 25 of the approximately 80 naval vessels of various types that it had deployed in the early stages of the conflict in 2022.

Mr Pletenchuk said up to 35 of these ships posed a “real threat” to Ukraine, giving Russia long-range strike capabilities and enabling Moscow to operate around the Crimean peninsula and southern Ukraine.

"Twenty-five different ships were destroyed and 15 are being repaired," the Ukrainian navy spokesman added.

Russia has not yet commented on the above information.

Ukraine releases video claiming to sink Russian warship

The Black Sea emerged as a key “front” shortly after Russia launched its military campaign in Ukraine in February 2022. Ukraine declared it would regain control of Crimea, the peninsula south of Ukraine on the Black Sea that Russia annexed in 2014.

In recent times, Ukraine has carried out a series of attacks on Sevastopol, the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea. The Black Sea Fleet is considered an important force in Russia's raids from the Black Sea on targets across Ukraine.

Ukrainian military intelligence announced on February 1 that it had sunk the Ivanovets, a Tarantul-class missile frigate of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, after it suffered "a direct hit to the hull" and suffered irreparable damage.

Ukraine is believed to have destroyed a Russian Kilo-class submarine and damaged several Moscow landing ships, including the Minsk, Saratov and Olenegorsky Gornyak. In the early months of the war, the Moskva, Russia's Black Sea flagship, was sunk. Ukraine claims the attack was carried out by a Neptune missile.

Russia has reportedly moved some of its Black Sea vessels from the Crimean peninsula to the Novorossiysk base in Russia's Krasnodar region, far from the Ukrainian coast.

Russia is also reportedly establishing another Black Sea base in Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia. These moves would keep Russian assets in the Black Sea out of range of Ukrainian strikes.

Ukraine has no significant navy but has used Western-supplied drones and missiles to great effect in raids on Russian targets. In December, Britain and Norway announced they would provide minesweepers, nearly 20 assault ships and 20 amphibious vehicles to the Ukrainian navy.

The British government said aid from NATO allies would help Ukraine "transform its navy", bringing it on par with the alliance and boosting security in the Black Sea.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/ukraine-tuyen-bo-vo-hieu-hoa-13-tau-ham-doi-bien-den-nga-20240206181509499.htm