News Feed

Russia's Black Sea Fleet forced to redeploy over Ukrainian drone attacks, Russian proxy admits

1 min read
Russia's Black Sea Fleet forced to redeploy over Ukrainian drone attacks, Russian proxy admits
The Russian warship Admiral Makarov of the Russian Black Sea Fleet lies off the port city of Sevastopol on 27 July 2019. (Ulf Mauder/dpa (Ulf Mauder/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Russia has redeployed vessels of its Black Sea Fleet due to attacks by Ukrainian naval drones, Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian proxy head of occupation authorities in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, said in an interview with Kremlin-controlled Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper published on Oct. 21.

Rogozin's surprise admission is in line with previous statements made by Ukrainian officials.

Successful Ukrainian strikes on occupied Crimea forced Moscow to pull out much of its naval forces from the peninsula to the Russian city of Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai, which became a key port for the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

According to Rogozin, a "military-technical revolution" took place during Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, impacting the usefulness of traditional weapons systems. He referred to the Russian Black Sea Fleet as a weapon system that had undergone changes during the war.

"It (Black Sea Fleet) was forced... to change its residence because our large ships became targets for the enemy's unmanned boats," Rogozin said.

Ukraine has repeatedly struck Russia's vessels since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Around 30% of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is lost or disabled, according to the Ukrainian military.

Russian ships ineffective for missile strikes, used to distract Ukraine’s defenses, Navy says
Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, said that if Russia deploys several cruise missile carriers to the sea, it does not mean they will be used for an attack.
Article image
Avatar
Kateryna Denisova

News Editor

Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.

Read more
News Feed

The World Bank will provide $200 million over the next five years to prepare Ukrainian projects for large-scale reconstruction, the Economy Ministry announced on July 11. The funding will be available under the five-year PREPARE program with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA).

Video

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, war has become a daily reality for thousands of Ukrainian children. Some Ukrainian military units, such as the Azov Brigade, offer boot camps for teenagers to teach them the basics of self-defense, first aid, dry firing, and other survival skills — helping them prepare for both the realities of today and the uncertainties of the future.

Show More