Russia relocates Black Sea ships underlines ‘danger’ of attacks on Crimea: UK

Russia has likely withdrawn two of its missile-armed corvettes from the Black Sea as Ukrainian attacks pose a “persistent threat” to Moscow’s forces around Crimea, according to a new assessment.

Russia probably transferred two Karakurt-class ships from the Black Sea further east to the Caspian Sea following “a series of successful Ukrainian attacks,” the British Ministry of Defence said on Thursday. The Ukrainian Navy added on Thursday that two Russian ships were stationed in the Black Sea but no missile carriers.

On Tuesday, the Ukrainian military said its forces had defeated Russia’s Cyclone –or cyclone—Karakurt-class ship on Sunday in the port city of Sevastopol in Crimea. Kiev said over the weekend that it had destroyed a Russian minesweeper in the Black Sea.

Ukraine described the Tsiklon as probably the last warship armed with cruise missiles in the Black Sea. Russian state media reported that the ship joined the Black Sea Fleet in mid-2023 and was built in the Crimean city of Kerch.

The Tsiklon was one of four Karakurt-class ships will be stationed in the Black Sea from 2022 and will be able to fire Russian Kalibr cruise missiles, the British ministry said on Thursday. One of the four ships Questionswas already damaged by Kyiv in November 2023.

Although the loss of the Tsiklon “It is unlikely to materially change the impact that the Russian Navy is having on Ukraine’s operations, but it demonstrates a continued threat to Russian forces operating in Crimea and the Black Sea region, as well as continued sustained success in conducting coordinated attacks,” the UK Ministry of Defence said.

Newsweek The Russian Defense Ministry asked for comment via email.

Russia had used occupied Crimea as its primary Black Sea base, but continued Ukrainian attacks – and significant Russian naval losses – forced Moscow to move many of its troops further east in the Black Sea, including to its Novorossiysk base in the Russian region Krasnodar.

Western intelligence agencies have noted that Russia has limited its activities in the western Black Sea, where Ukraine can more easily threaten its fleet.

Kiev has threatened Russia’s ships and bases with a combination of drone and long-range missile strikes. Sunday’s attack was a “coordinated long-range attack” on Sevastopol, likely using combat drones and US Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, the British government said in its update on Thursday.

Ukraine has also used Storm Shadow air-launched missiles (SCALP) supplied by Britain and France to attack the Black Sea Fleet. These missiles are considered to have sunk the Russian Rostov-on-Don Submarine in September 2023.

The Ukrainian Navy said in March that it had disabled or destroyed around a third of the Black Sea Fleet.

Moscow has sought to bolster its Black Sea bases against Ukrainian drone and missile attacks by deploying decoys to confuse operators in Kyiv, the British government has previously noted. Moscow has also announced plans to strengthen the protection of its Black Sea fleet with large-caliber machine guns to shoot down incoming naval drones before they can hit Russian ships.