Ukraine announced the neutralization of 1/3 of the Russian Black Sea Fleet ships

Russian warships in the Black Sea (Photo: New York Times).

"The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced that our troops have neutralized 24 Russian ships and a submarine," the Directorate for Strategic Communications of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced on Telegram on February 6.

“Public information shows that the Russian Black Sea Fleet had a total of 74 warships at the start of the conflict,” the statement added.

Earlier, Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesman for the Ukrainian navy, said Russia had lost up to 25 of the approximately 80 naval vessels of various types it had deployed in the early stages of the conflict in 2022.

Mr Pletenchuk said up to 35 of these vessels posed a “real threat” to Ukraine, giving Russia long-range strike capabilities and enabling Moscow to operate around Crimea and southern Ukraine.

"Twenty-five different ships were destroyed and 15 are being repaired," the Ukrainian navy spokesman added.

Russia has not yet commented on the above information.

Ukraine released a video claiming to have sunk a Russian warship

Soon after Russia launched its military campaign in Ukraine in February 2022, the Black Sea emerged as an important “front.” Ukraine announced it would regain control of Crimea, the peninsula south of Ukraine on the Black Sea that Russia annexed in 2014.

In recent times, Ukraine has carried out a series of attacks targeting Sevastopol, the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea. The Black Sea Fleet is considered an important force in Russia's raids from the Black Sea on targets across Ukraine.

Ukrainian military intelligence announced on February 1 that it had sunk the Ivanovets, a Tarantul-class missile frigate of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, after it suffered "a direct hit to the hull" and suffered irreparable damage.

Ukraine is believed to have destroyed a Russian Kilo-class submarine and damaged several of Moscow’s landing ships, including the Minsk, Saratov, and Olenegorsky Gornyak. In the early months of the war, the Moskva, Russia’s Black Sea flagship, was sunk. Ukraine claims the attack was carried out by a Neptune missile.

Russia is said to have moved some of its Black Sea vessels from the Crimean peninsula to the Novorossiysk base in Russia's Krasnodar region, away from the Ukrainian coast.

Russia is also believed to be establishing another Black Sea base in Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia. These moves would help keep Russian assets in the Black Sea out of Ukraine’s striking range.

Ukraine has no significant navy but has used Western-supplied drones and missiles to great effect in strikes against Russian targets. In December, Britain and Norway announced they would supply minesweepers, nearly 20 assault ships and 20 amphibious vehicles to the Ukrainian navy.

The British government said aid from NATO allies would help Ukraine "transform its navy", bringing it up to par with the alliance and boosting security in the Black Sea.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/ukraine-tuyen-bo-vo-hieu-hoa-13-tau-ham-doi-bien-den-nga-20240206181509499.htm