Setback for Vladimir Putin as Russia withdraws Black Sea Fleet from Crimea: Report
Crimea
Russia has pulled out its Black Sea Fleet from the controlled Crimean region, several media reports claimed, indicating that it was the result of increased Ukraine missile and drone attacks.
Russia has moved three attack submarines and two frigates from Sevastopol to other ports in Russia and Crimea, the New York Times (NYT) newspaper claimed on Wednesday (Oct 5), citing Western officials and satellite images verified by naval experts.
The Telegraph newspaper also reported, citing British intelligence, that the Russian Black Sea Fleet is “struggling to deal with concurrent threats on the southern flank of the Ukraine war” and “fleet activities are likely relocating to Novorossiysk in the face of threats to Sevastopol”.
Russia is now “attempting to use naval air power to project force over the north-western Black Sea”, it reported.
If the reports are accurate, then this would be the biggest setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin who had occupied Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
Crimea important naval base for Russia
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Crimea has served as the key hub supportingRussia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Sevastopol, the main base of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet since the 19th century, has had particular importance for navy operations since the start of the war.
Another reason is to use it as a logistics hub, shipping in munitions and materiel for the land battle to the north.
The decision to withdraw from Sevastopol comes in the wake of a series of attacks by Ukraine in recent weeks that have severely damaged Russian vessels and the fleet’s headquarters.
Ukraine's counteroffensive ops yielding results
The Ukrainian strikes obliterated the naval headquarters and damaged docked warships last month, making the port city untenable as a naval base.
The recent assault has not only denied Russia access to parts of the Black Sea but has also allowed Ukraine to open a new corridor for it to dispatch vital grain shipments.
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The Russian withdrawal would give a major boost to Ukraine’s counteroffensive operations as it slowly makes advances amidst heavy losses.
Military experts argue that it is essential for Ukraine to keep up its attacks on targets in Crimea to degrade Russian morale and weaken its military.
(With inputs from agencies)
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