Ukrainian forces report on Russian ships in Black Sea and possible presence of missile carrier
Several Russian ships spotted in the Black Sea (Illustrative photo: mill.ru)
This morning, February 2, two Russian ships have been deployed for combat duty in the Black Sea, one of which is a carrier of Kalibr cruise missiles, according to the Ukrainian Navy.
According to the military authorities, the enemy's missile carrier, if used in combat, is capable of launching up to 4 Kalibr missiles with a single salvo.
Meanwhile, no enemy ships have been observed in the Sea of Azov.
The Ukrainian Navy also added that six Russian ships were spotted in the Mediterranean Sea, two of which are Kalibr carriers, capable of launching up to 22 missiles in total.
Additionally, the military reported that in the past 24 hours, the following vessels passed through the Kerch Strait in the interests of Russia:
- to the Black Sea - 6 ships, 2 of which continued towards the Bosporus Strait;
- to the Sea of Azov - 4 ships, 1 of which came from the Bosporus Strait.
The Ukrainian Navy once again noted that Russia continues to violate the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) of 1974 by disabling Automatic Identification Systems.
It should be noted that the day before, one Russian missile carrier was also spotted in the Black Sea. However, as clarified by the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Russian forces did not launch Kalibr missiles during the massive combined strike on Ukraine on February 1.
Additionally, in the latest report, experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) responded to statements from the Russian Ministry of Defense, claiming that the Russian army had destroyed a Ukrainian maritime drone in the Black Sea using a new Orion drone on February 1. Analysts suggested that this could potentially undermine the dominance of the Ukrainian Navy in the region.
