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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 turn 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.