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Black Sea Fleet (BSF) Special Military Operation

The Russian Black Sea Fleet announced on 26 January 2022 that more than 20 ships of the Black Sea Fleet had set off from two bases in Sevastopol and Novorossiysk to participate in exercises to be held in the Black Sea waters. The news said that a multi-ship synthetic formation, ship strike group and landing fleet composed of patrol ships, frigates, small missile ships, landing ships, minesweepers and small anti-submarine ships will perform safety maneuver training, communications and maritime operations during the military exercise. Air defense and other subject drills.

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated on 08 February 2022 that six Russian warships are currently heading from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea to participate in maritime exercises, calling this a planned mobilization of military resources. Six landing ships of the Russian Navy rushed to the Black Sea. These warships came from the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet, which aroused great attention from international public opinion. On 09 February 2022, three Russian naval landing ships passed through the Bosporus Strait to the Black Sea. This was the sixth Russian naval landing ship. The three landing ships that passed through the strait on February 8 were the "Korolev", the "Minsk" and the "Minsk". "Kaliningrad", the three landing ships that passed through the strait on February 9 were "Pyotr Morgunov", "George Pobedonosets" and "Olenegorsky" Gornyak".

The Black Sea Fleet, one of the four major fleets of the Russian Navy, participated in the Special Operation since its first hours. It was entrusted with carrying out part of the first strikes on the infrastructure of Ukraine. Subsequently, the Navy's combat work continued. Surface ships and coastal troops reportedly participated in various activities. According to some reports, the naval group in the Black Sea includes several pennants of other fleets. They arrived in this area earlier, as part of naval exercises. However, the exact list of such “guests” was not disclosed.

It is known that the missile cruiser "Moskva" pr. 1164 and the newest patrol ships pr. 22160 - "Vasily Bykov" and "Dmitry Rogachev" - have already participated in various episodes of the Special Operation. To hit a significant part of the targets, Caliber cruise missiles were used, so far only available on ships and submarines.

The Russian Black Sea Fleet gained dominance in the Sea of Azov and established control over the northwestern part of the Black Sea during a special operation in Ukraine, said Black Sea Fleet Commander-in-Chief Igor Osipov in his congratulations on Russian Navy Day. “The combat activities of the Black Sea Fleet during a special military operation made it possible to gain dominance over the enemy in the Sea of Azov and establish control over the northwestern part of the Black Sea,” Osipov said 28 July 2022.

While Russia had clear naval superiority, Ukrainian forces claim to have successfully sunk several Russian ships since the war began, including the Russian Black Sea Fleet flagship Moskva cruiser in April 2022. Moscow said the ship sank due to a fire on board. On the night of 14 April 202214, when the Black Sea Fleet was operating at sea, the flagship guided missile cruiser "Moscow" was suddenly attacked by two missiles. It suffered serious battle damage and sank shortly after being towed back to port. Russian officials were busy covering up the truth, while media from various countries were trying to analyze the real reason why the ship was attacked and sunk. The 10,000-ton guided missile cruiser was easily sunk by a missile during a combat cruise, which can be called a major event in the history of world naval operations. The history of naval fleets participating in maritime battles turned a new page, and the past understanding of naval fleet confrontations has to be rewritten.

As the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral Viktor Sokolov, told the Army Collection magazine 30 July 2023, since the beginning of the special operation, ships, submarines and coastal missile systems "Bal" and "Bastion" have carried out over 400 launches of cruise missiles. As a result, airfields, command posts and ammunition depots, as well as weapons factories, were disabled.

One of the primary tasks for the Black Sea Fleet was the neutralization of Ukraine's "mosquito fleet" - nine armored boats of projects 58150 "Gyurza" and 58181 "Centaur". With their help, Ukrainian admirals intended to attack Russian ships and vessels in the Sea of ??Azov, but the calculations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces did not come true. Ships of the Black Sea Fleet, naval aviation, and coastal missile systems "Bal" and "Bastion" attacked Ukrainian sites and ports, and the Marines fought to take military bases.

In total, the forces of the Black Sea Fleet destroyed during combat operations : 21 ships and boats, six airplanes and helicopters, 47 unmanned aerial vehicles, and also captured 13 ships and vessels. As a result, the Ukrainian fleet suffered huge losses and virtually no longer existed as an organized naval formation.

Ukrainian forces pushed the Russian fleet back about 100 kilometers from the Ukrainian coast in the Black Sea, where Moscow's ships have been conducting a naval blockade for weeks, the Ukrainian military said on 06 June 2022. The Russian navy's blockade of Ukrainian ports has raised concerns about a global food crisis. Ukraine's grain exports have been blocked and world prices have soared.

Due to the war in Ukraine, all Russian ports and specific waters of the Black Sea and Sea of Azov had been closed since April 2022. Included in the ship war, piracy, terrorism and related risk exclusion areas published by the Joint War Risks Committee (JWC)Checklist. Shipowners erre advised to contact their war risks insurance company when calling at any port within the above areas. Composed of the British Chamber of Shipping, Nautilus International and RMT AssociationwarThe Operational Area Committee (WOAC) declared all international waters in Ukraine, Russia and the Black Sea north of 44°N latitudeThe domain in the "war operations area".

For nearly a year, the United Nations Black Sea Grains Initiative (BSGI) had been the main channel for access to Ukrainian ports in the northwest Black Sea region.The only feasible route. The initiative ends on July 17, 2023.

The United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) in itsAnnouncement No. 2023-004It is pointed out that ships sailing in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov can be subject to GPS jamming, AIS spoofing, and/or other communications interference. MARAD Announcement No. 2023-005 also for encounter GPS Jammed Ships provides additional guidance. There are also reports that electronic warfare may be used. This will likely affect the ship electronic systems.

A missile attack on a ship repair yard in Sevastopol caused colossal damage to the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Thus, the ship “Minsk”, according to Forbes, cost $110 million, and the submarine “Rostov-on-Don” – $300 million. It is impossible to calculate the damage to Sevmorzavod, but the enterprise is out of commission for the coming months.

In addition, according to military-political observer Olexander Kovalenko, the repair of the ships at the time of the strike was almost completed. Russia invested about 40 million rubles in it. According to analysts, “Minsk” cannot be restored. And repairing a submarine, even if possible, will take years.

“Judging by satellite images provided by the UK Ministry of Defence, the Russian Navy submarine was hit at approximately this location [the bow of the ship]. The warhead could have penetrated the main pressure hull and almost certainly destroyed the torpedo tube and other parts of the ship,” said naval expert and investigative journalist H.I. Sutton.

The increased rate of destruction of the Russian fleet has two reasons. First of all, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have significantly weakened the air defense in the region. This work began with the destruction of the cruiser “Moskva”, which served as the main cover for other ships.

And, starting in August 2023, the Triumph and S-400 batteries in Crimea, as well as the radar station on the Boyko oil derricks in the Black Sea, were eliminated. It was possible to regain control of the towers thanks to the landing. As the press service of the Special Operations Forces stated, paratroopers were also involved in the attack on Sevastopol. The use of various tools was the second factor in the success of the APU.

“By boats, the group approached a safe place and moved to the shore thanks to underwater delivery vehicles. Having successfully infiltrated, the soldiers began to carry out the main part of the operation. With the help of special technical reconnaissance equipment, identification and targeting of the target was carried out,” says a message on the official Telegram channel of the Special Operations Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Another critical tool is drones. According to military experts, Ukraine is setting a global trend by creating a fleet of maritime kamikaze drones. on the night of 13-14 September 2023, Ukraine dealt a powerful blow to the Russian Black Sea Fleet. On 14 September 2023, they used them to hit two Russian patrol ships. And on the day of the attack on Sevastopol, a Russian small landing ship was also destroyed. All this forces the Kremlin to keep the remnants of the fleet as close to the ports as possible. The Russians moved three large landing ships from the Black Sea to the Azov Sea. This happened after the defeat of a large Russian landing ship and a submarine in temporarily occupied Sevastopol.

“They redeployed three large landing ships from the Black Sea to the Azov Sea. Although in reality it is more difficult to maneuver there, and given the case of the Saratov ship, which was sunk in Berdyansk, questions arise regarding their tactical genius. As for other measures, yes, they are now more often located in home bays, where there are anti-drone barriers and some kind of constant air defense. And in this way they are trying to preserve what remains,” said Dmitry Pletenchuk, speaker of the Ukrainian Navy.

According to the Ukrainian Navy, a total of about 90 Russian military ships remained in the Black and Azov Seas by mid-September 2023. Their number will gradually decrease, the Ukrainian military said.

Russia kept four ships on combat duty in the Black and Azov Seas 19 September 2023. It is also noted that 26 vessels passed through the Kerch–Yenikale Strait to the Azov Sea in the interests of the Russian Federation, three of them were moving from the Bosphorus, and six vessels passed to the Black Sea, of which one continued to move towards the Bosphorus. The day before, Russia kept six ships on combat duty in the Black Sea, no missile carriers among them.

Ukraine needed to destroy the carriers of Kalibr sea-based cruise missiles, because it is these missiles that are used for strikes on the territory of Ukraine. The priority target is the large amphibious ships, because they are adapted for landing landings, transporting supplies and much better than minesweepers, they mine the sea and sea lines. The task is to destroy large amphibious ships, carriers of Kalibr cruise missiles, corvettes, frigates and even submarines. Other ships are secondary targets, but if they are within range of a missile or drone, they too must be destroyed.

As part of the 2023 counteroffensive, Ukraine worked on the demilitarization of the occupied Crimea. The Armed Forces destroyed the objects of the Russian occupiers and were gradually preparing for the liberation of the peninsula. The Black Sea Fleet also came under the attack of the troops - until recently, the main "pride" of the invaders, was losing ships and deprived of opportunities for maneuvers. Kyiv was waiting for long-range missiles from the West to continue cleaning the Ukrainian part of the Black Sea.

The withdrawal of ships to Novorossiysk is a bad option for the Russians. We remember what happened to the Olenegorsk Mine and the oil tanker, so Novorossiysk is a risk zone for the occupiers. Ships can only go outside the Black Sea. And when the defense forces of Ukraine go to the Azov coast, the situation for the enemy will worsen already in the Azov Sea. Therefore, the Russians must hurry while they still have time to take out the ships.

The strikes affect the combat capability of Russian troops. They began to lose submarines and ships, which they can no longer produce. For example, the decommissioned large amphibious ship of Project 775 Minsk was built back in the days of the Soviet Union. And not in the USSR, but in Poland - at the shipyard in Gdansk. Today, Russia does not have the capabilities to build such ships.

In addition, the Russian submarine Rostov-on-Don was destroyed by an air-to-surface cruise missile. This is a unique case that has never happened in the world history of wars and conflicts. Moreover, the destroyed Kalibr cruise missile carrier, which was planned to be used for strikes on Ukraine in the winter. In October, the submarine was planned to be taken out for repairs.

Regular strikes turned the Black Sea Fleet into a flotilla. Moreover, it became a flotilla after the cruiser "Moscow" was destroyed. The uniqueness of this precedent lies in the fact that for the first time in history a country without a navy defeats a country with a navy that turns into a flotilla in a naval battle.

Russia pulled a large number of its Black Sea Fleet from the Crimean region, for better protection, indicating that this is the result of increased Ukraine missile and drone attacks severely damaging Russian vessels and the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet. According to a Wall Street Journal report on 04 October 2023, citing Western officials and satellite imagery verified by naval experts, Russia has withdrawn powerful vessels from Sevastopol and sent them to other ports.

The move represents a big setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin, as Crimea has served as the key hub supporting Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, according to naval experts, the immediate military impact is somewhat limited since these ships can still launch cruise missiles at civilian infrastructure like ports and power grids.

Ukraine's previous strikes had already disrupted the blockade of Ukrainian ports, denying Russia access to parts of the Black Sea and providing Ukraine with a new route for economically crucial grain shipments. Nonetheless, the withdrawal comes at a good time for Ukraine as its counteroffensive is progressing slower than anticipated due to heavy losses, and political uncertainties in the U.S. have raised concerns about funding for Kyiv's efforts to expel Russian forces. While the move may represent only a temporary solution to protect against further attacks from Ukraine, the mass relocation of heavy vessels showed the threat of Kyiv's strike capabilities.

The development of the fleet in the conditions of modern warfare is moving towards the use of unmanned and unmanned systems, in which Russia is hopelessly behind. This opinion was expressed 27 October 2023 on the FREEDOM TV channel by the speaker of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Dmytro Pletenchuk.

The speaker noted that the Russian Black Sea Fleet is quite showcase: it was staffed with personnel and ships, and received funding on a first-priority basis. “This is quite a complex, large infrastructure. Only officially, the garrison numbered more than 25 thousand military personnel in Crimea. Accordingly, this is a fairly large fleet, quite powerful by modern standards, considering how it was stuffed with the same carriers of cruise missiles, of which there are an average of 10, along with submarines. The combat core at the beginning of a full-scale invasion was powerful enough for such a relatively small water area,” Pletenchuk said.

At the same time, he emphasized that the power of the Black Sea Fleet is currently being greatly exaggerated by Russian propagandists. So, even to replace the Russian flagship, one of the nuclear cruisers that is being decommissioned, a ship is expected that has been under repair for 25 years. At the same time, the use of technology comes to the fore in modern warfare.

“The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict became such a harbinger of the massive use of drones. We could all see how modern warfare is moving towards the use of unmanned, unmanned systems. And the conflict in the Black Sea once again confirmed the thesis that more technologically developed countries, and in our particular case, could not do without the help of technologically advanced partners, plus, of course, our developments, of which there are many, show corresponding results… And yes, size, as we see, does not matter now,” Pletenchuk emphasized.

He recalled that all naval ships that sail under the battle flag of the Russian Federation are legitimate targets of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. Now the Russians have taken those ships that do not take part in hostilities to what they consider to be safe places. “In fact, yes, they are now trying not to enter the western part of the Black Sea. In principle, they are even afraid to move away from Crimea,” Pletenchuk said. This fall, the Russian fleet received several such powerful attacks that it is no longer able to maintain its previous control in the Black Sea.

The Russian Black Sea Fleet hid almost all "serious ships" in Novorossiysk, including Kalibr cruise missile carriers. The Crimean Wind monitoring group reported this on Telegram 18 December 2023, according to Ukrinform. According to the monitoring data, the carriers of the Kalibr cruise missiles are located in the port: two out of two Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates, three out of three Project 21631 Buyan-M small artillery and missile ships, four out of four Project 636.3 Varshavyanka submarines, and one out of three Project 22800 Karakurt corvettes. There are also three Project 22160 patrol ships (one of them armed with a Tor missile system), three Project 775 landing ships, one Ivan Gren-class landing ship, and three Project 266M Akvamarin minesweepers. All Pr 22160 Patrol Boats are there, meaning if one was hit, it was able to make it back to Novo. According to the post, satellite images taken on December 17 were published by OSINT researcher MT Anderson.