The situation in the Black Sea is becoming difficult for Putin. Another Russian ship was destroyed there. How does Ukraine manage to do this without its own navy?
The spokesman for the Ukrainian naval force was very satisfied. “Not every Caesar is lucky enough to die twice – on the same day,” explained Dmytro Pletenchuk. The spokesman was commenting on the sinking of the Russian landing ship “Caesar Kunikov” on Wednesday off the southern coast of the occupied Crimean peninsula. The ship’s namesake was the Soviet naval officer Tsezar Kunikov, who was fatally wounded in World War II. He died on February 14, 1943.
Video | Ukraine apparently sinks another Russian warship
Quelle: t-online
“It’s a little symbolic,” Pletenchuk said. But it is just as symbolic that Russia has already lost the third landing ship in its Black Sea Fleet since the beginning of the war of aggression against Ukraine, the “Caesar Kunikov”. According to Ukrainian information, Magura V5 maritime drones hit the “Caesar Kunikov” on Wednesday and the ship sank as a result. You can read more about the incident here.
It’s another major blow to Russia’s navy. Last week, the Ukrainian military reported that around a third of the Black Sea Fleet had been destroyed. 24 ships and one submarine are said to be out of action. Independent observers from the “Oryx” project, which documents the losses of both warring parties using freely accessible photos, confirm that 14 Russian ships were destroyed and seven damaged.
This is a resounding success for Ukraine. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the Black Sea has been a central theater of war. What significance does the Russian Black Sea Fleet play in this? How does Ukraine, which does not have its own navy, manage to repeatedly inflict heavy losses on the Russians? And how is the situation developing on the inland sea, which is bordered by three NATO states: Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria? An overview.
What is the significance of the Russian Black Sea Fleet?
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has long been considered a major threat. Before the start of the war, according to public information, it had 74 warships. Their missile cruisers repeatedly fire death and destruction-causing projectiles into Ukraine. At the beginning of the war, observers feared a landing operation to capture Odessa. And last but not least, Russia successfully blocked Ukrainian exports across the Black Sea for many months.
Almost all of these threats are now a thing of the past. Russia continues to fire missiles from its ships at Ukraine. But the ships are no longer as well protected as they were at the beginning of the war. The first indication of this was the destruction of the “Moskva”, the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, in April 2022. You can read more about this here. Since then, the Russian Navy has had an increasingly difficult time in the region.
Video | These drones pose a threat to Putin’s Black Sea Fleet
Quelle: t-online
Ukrainian navy spokesman Pletenchuk also said on Wednesday that there was no longer any discussion about amphibious landing operations. The threat has significantly reduced due to the Russian losses. “Of the 13 units that the enemy had at the beginning of the large-scale invasion, only five are still operational: four are being repaired, four have been destroyed,” Pletenchuk said, referring to Russia’s landing ships in the Black Sea.
In addition, Russia has no longer been able to maintain its blockade of Ukrainian exports across the Black Sea. At the beginning of the war, the Russians did not allow any cargo ships to pass. Then a grain agreement between Russia and Ukraine allowed at least limited exports. The Kremlin let the deal expire last July.
