a report in The Wall Street Journal, Russia has relocated the majority of its Black Sea Fleet from its main base in Sevastopol to various locations within Crimea as well as into Russian territory amid the current Ukraine crisis.
Vladimir Putin, the leader of Russia, is facing a serious setback as an outcome of this action. Following a series of Ukrainian attacks which resulted to the destruction of two Russian ships and the primary command center of the Black Sea Fleet, it symbolizes a symbolic loss for Putin.
British Deputy Defense Minister James Heappey, speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum, referred to the dispersal of the ships as a “functional failure” for the Russian fleet.
Mikhail Barabanov, a Russian maritime analyst, pointed out that the West had previously prohibited Ukraine from using Western weapons to strike within Russia’s borders since 2014. However, Ukraine recently carried out an attack on Novorossiysk using its own drones.
Yoruk Isik, an expert from the consulting firm Bosphorus Observer, noted that satellite images reveal Russia has set up nets and barges at the entrance to the port in Feodosia, suggesting Moscow’s concerns about further attacks on its ships.