Russian Black Sea Fleet lost third of its ships - Ukrainian Navy
Photo: Russia's Black Sea Fleet lost a third of its ships (Rosmedia)
The spokesperson of the Ukrainian Navy, Dmytro Pletenchuk, stated in an interview with RBC-Ukraine that a third of the ships of the Black Sea Fleet have been put out of action—either destroyed or damaged. Some of them are destroyed even after being repaired.
"Officially, 28. But many of the ships currently in service have also sustained damage. For example, both frigates, Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov," he said.
According to him, many of the enemy's ships have already encountered drones and missiles. "And some of them have already been restored. Some are still under repair, and some will be there for a long time due to serious damage," Pletenchuk added.
He noted an exciting detail about the large landing ships.
"We waited until they were repaired and then struck. Repairing them was extremely difficult because they are part of Project 775 and are Polish-manufactured. The Poles, of course, refuse to service them. They tried to buy some parts and replacements to circumvent the sanctions. So I don't think they will rush to repair these LSTs now," Pletenchuk explained.
The Navy spokesman reported that a third of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea is out of action – "destroyed and damaged."
Priority targets
He said that missile carriers are the priority targets, as they are practically the only ships that can still affect us.
The defense forces managed to destroy several missile carriers. "Two small missile boats and a submarine: Askold, Tsiklon, and 'Rostov-on-Don. Eight remain, including three submarines, three Buyan-M MRKs, and two frigates, Essen and Makarov," he said.
He said the Russians could theoretically fire even from the Caspian Sea. "But they perfectly understand that leaving here means showing weakness, and it's a capitulation. And for their imperial ambitions, they are ready to die here. We won't stop them," Pletenchuk added.
RBC-Ukraine reported that on May 19, the missile ship Tsiklon, the last carrier of cruise missiles in Crimea, was sunk in the occupied Sevastopol. Other Russian ships of Project 22800 were also put out of action or left the waters of the Black Sea.
