Ukraine Opens New Front Against Russia's Beleaguered Black Sea Fleet

Ukrainian drones are threatening Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov, it has been reported, signaling an intention by Kyiv to target Moscow's infrastructure beyond the Black Sea.

Over the course of the war started by President Vladimir Putin, Kyiv has delivered high-profile strikes on ships and infrastructure of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, forcing vessels to be relocated from Sevastopol, in occupied Crimea, northeast to Novorossiysk, in Russia's Krasnodar region and further afield.

Satellite imagery earlier this month showed how Russia had moved at least 18 naval vessels, including two Vasily Bukov-class patrol ships and Ropucha-class landing ships, from Novorossiysk. Kyiv said the moves, likely to the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, served to reduce their vulnerability to Ukrainian drone strikes.

But it appears that even these vessels are under threat after British outlet Sky News reported Ukrainian forces had carried out a "coordinated strike" against a Ropucha-class landing ship overnight Saturday, which had moved to the Sea of Azov, connected to the Black Sea by the Strait of Kerch.

Ukrainian Telegram channel Crimean Wind and Ukrainian Mariupol mayoral adviser Petro Andryushchenko gave more details, saying a ship was hit near the port of Yeysk, located in Krasnodar.

But there are conflicting reports over what kind of vessel was hit. Crimean Wind said satellite imagery from Sunday morning suggested Ukrainian forces may not have hit a large landing ship but instead a Vasily Bukov-class patrol ship.

Crimean Wind said that satellite imagery showed an oil slick and that "all information about the attack was deleted from all public pages." Russia had tried "to hide" the vessel in Yeysk, "but something went wrong," it said.

"The fact there is a real hunt for the Russian fleet in the Sea of Azov is just mega-positive news that is difficult to overestimate," the post added.

An unnamed Ukrainian source told Sky News that Russia "cannot operate with freedom either in the Black Sea or eastward." The source said that these ships are used to ferry ammunition and supplies to occupied Mariupol and then to the front line.

Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian and Russian defense ministries for comment.

In May, retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Mike LeFever told Newsweek that as Russia's Navy continues to be pushed back by Ukraine, Moscow "will try other asymmetric things to do harm— they won't give up the idea of the control of the Black Sea."

"And so they may do something like using sea floating mines which are very difficult," added LeFever, CEO of security and risk management firm Concentric.

On Monday morning, the Baza Telegram channel, which is linked to Russia's security services, said that in an overnight strike, Ukrainian drones had hit the tugboat Engineer Smirnov and a barge in Taganrog Bay.

It posted images of the aftermath which included smashed windows and minor damage above the waterline of the vessels, adding that two crew members also received light shrapnel wounds and the captain returned to the port of Azov.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.