Ukraine repeatedly attacks the Russian fleet in the Black Sea. Only on Monday evening did a Ukrainian special unit sink a speedboat with a naval drone. Because of such attacks, Russia has stationed large ships far from Crimea. The latest refuge could be a port in Georgia.
New satellite images published by Newsweek magazine document the construction of a port in Ochamchire, a coastal town in the breakaway Georgian and Russian-allied region of Abkhazia. Last October, Abkhazia announced an agreement with the Moscow regime to establish a new Russian naval base, and it was eventually signed in January.
800 kilometers from Sevastopol
The newly built port could be a new haven for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. Long ago, continued Ukrainian attacks forced Russia to move large warships from the port city of Sevastopol on the occupied Crimean Peninsula to other ports, to Novorossiysk. In Ochamchire, about 800 kilometers from Sevastopol, the fleet might be even better protected against attacks by Kiev forces (see map below).
However, it is unclear whether the port in Abkhazia can actually house the remains of the decimated Black Sea Fleet. According to the pro-Russian government in the region, the naval base is large enough for this. However, Andrii Ryzhenko, a retired Ukrainian navy captain and security expert, doubted this in an interview with Newsweek. There have been “not many changes” in the past six months in the port where the naval base would be built. Currently there are only small ships at anchor.
Ukrainian attacks are still possible
Ryschenko warns against overestimating the role of the naval base. What that will be will only become clear after completion. In any case, from there, attacks on Ukrainian territory would also be possible: Russia could send corvettes equipped with Kalibr long-range missiles to attack Ukrainian territory “and then return to the safety of the naval base,” says military expert Glen Howard quoted. “Newsweek”. Conversely, a Ukrainian attack on the Russian base in Abkhazia is also possible: the Ukrainian Marichka submarine drone has a range of up to 1,000 kilometers.
The latest attack on a Russian boat off Crimea was carried out with a maritime drone of the Magura type, the Ukrainian military intelligence service HUR announced on Monday. During a successful mission, a speedboat with Russian invaders on board was destroyed, the report said. The HUR published a video of the attack (see below).
Several warships have already been sunk with drones
As the fear of Ukrainian attacks forces the occupiers to keep large ships of the Black Sea Fleet as far away from Crimea as possible, Russia continues combat operations with fast-maneuvering warships, the HUR explained. So far, five ships of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet – including the ‘Caesar Kunikov’ – have already been destroyed by Magura attacks, and another has been damaged.
Source: Krone
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