Russia now deploys only submarines instead of surface warships in the Black Sea as part of its new strategy under a new commander, said Ukrainian Naval Forces Spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk.
He said at present, Russia only has one missile carrier in the Black Sea capable of launching a total salvo of four Kalibr missiles. Instead, Moscow has a concentrated group of surface ships comprising three Buyan-M class cruise missile carriers and three large amphibious craft in the Sea of Azov.
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“Russia is present in the Black Sea only at the expense of submarines. This can be considered a new [strategy] of the commander, who was appointed a few months ago. Accordingly, they cannot afford to be in the waters of the Black Sea,” said Dmytro Pletenchuk on national television.
On June 11, Kyiv Post reportedly that Russia re-deployed its surface vessels from the Black Sea to the land-locked Sea of Azov for “exercises,” where Pletenchuk said June 9 that Russia is using only two of its four operational submarines in the Black Sea for periodic patrols.
Kremlin reluctance to deploy surface warships in the Black Sea could likely be attributed to Ukraine’s recent history of destroying nearly a third of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet (BSF) since Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion, an achievement some analysis said have “crippled” the BSF.
In March, Kyiv Post reported that the Kremlin appointed Vice Admiral Sergei Pinchuk as the new commander of the Black Sea Fleet after a wave of successful Ukrainian attacks, citing a British intelligence update.
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