Russia hides Black Sea Fleet in Novorossiysk - British intelligence
Russia hides Black Sea fleet in Novorossiysk (Getty Images)
Russia has relocated a significant portion of its Black Sea Fleet (BSF) ships and submarines from Sevastopol further east to Novorossiysk. Since the removal of the BSF commander in March 2024, the fleet has exhibited the lowest activity since the beginning of the war, according to the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom.
According to the report, on April 1, the Admiral Grigorovich class guided missile frigate undertook weapons handling activity at the BSF facility, Novorossiysk port.
Modern Russian military ships, such as the frigate Admiral Grigorovich, are equipped with vertical launch systems for firing cruise missiles at sea and land targets. Historically, such missiles were reloaded in Sevastopol.
"Whilst the BSF almost certainly remains alongside Novorossiysk as its best method of avoiding Ukrainian sea-borne attack, its maintenance, logistics and weapons-handling infrastructure at Novorossiysk has highly likely been improved to support the new basing arrangements indefinitely," the British Ministry of Defense reports.
The Admiral Grigorovich frigate was launched in 2014. Its armament includes 3S14 launchers, which use Kalibr and Onyx missiles for strikes on Ukrainian cities.
Fleet losses
British intelligence reported that following a series of significant losses of Russian ships in the Black Sea, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet and the head of the Russian Navy were replaced.
Currently, the Russian military is seeking ways to preserve the fleet in the Black Sea. Ship operations are limited, and protection against drones has been reinforced.
According to British intelligence, Russian military ships' camouflage methods in the Black Sea are unlikely to yield results and reduce fleet losses.
