Russia Moving Black Sea Ships Highlights 'Danger' of Attacks on Crimea: UK

Russia has likely moved two of its missile-armed corvettes away from the Black Sea as Ukrainian strikes pose a "continued danger" to Moscow's forces around Crimea, according to a new assessment.

Russia has likely transferred two Karakurt-class vessels from the Black Sea further east to the Caspian Sea after "a series of successful Ukrainian attacks," the U.K. Defense Ministry said on Thursday. Ukraine's navy added on Thursday that two Russian vessels were stationed in the Black Sea, but no missile carriers.

On Tuesday, the Ukrainian military said its forces had taken out Russia's Tsiklon—or Cyclone—Karakurt-class vessel in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol on Sunday. Kyiv had said over the weekend it had destroyed a Russian minesweeping vessel in the Black Sea.

Ukraine described the Tsiklon as likely the last cruise missile-armed warship in the Black Sea. Russian state media reported the vessel joined the Black Sea Fleet in mid-2023, and was built in the Crimean city of Kerch.

The Tsiklon was one of four Karakurt-class ships located in the Black Sea from 2022, able to launch Russia's Kalibr cruise missiles, the U.K. ministry said on Thursday. One of the four vessels, the Askold, was damaged by Kyiv back in November 2023.

Although the loss of the Tsiklon is "unlikely to significantly change the impact the Russian Navy is having on Ukrainian operations, it does highlight a continued danger to Russian forces operating in the Crimea and Black Sea region and ongoing continued success when conducting coordinated strikes," the British Defense Ministry said.

Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.

Russia had used occupied Crimea as its primary Black Sea base, but consistent Ukrainian strikes—and substantial Russian naval losses—forced Moscow to relocate many of its assets further east in the Black Sea, including to its Novorossiysk base in Russia's Krasnodar region.

Western intelligence has evaluated that Russia has restricted its activity in the western Black Sea, where Ukraine can more easily threaten its fleet.

Kyiv has threatened Russia's vessels and bases with a combination of drones and long-range missile strikes. Sunday's assault was a "coordinated long-range attack" on Sevastopol, likely using attack drones and U.S.-provided Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, the British government said in its Thursday update.

Ukraine has also used British and French-supplied Storm Shadow, or SCALP, air-launched missiles to target the Black Sea Fleet. These missiles are credited with sinking Russia's Rostov-on-Don submarine in September 2023.

Ukraine's Navy said back in March that it had disabled or destroyed around a third of the Black Sea Fleet.

Moscow has attempted to fortify its Black Sea bases against Ukrainian drones and missile attacks, using decoys to try to confuse Kyiv's operators, the British government previously assessed. Moscow has also announced it will beef up the protection around its Black Sea fleet with large-caliber machine guns to shoot down incoming naval drones before they can hit Russian vessels.

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