Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has suffered “a series of major attacks” in a major blow to Vladimir Putin.
UK officials said the strikes on its headquarters, which took place on September 20 and 22, have been “more damaging and more co-ordinated” than previously in the conflict.
The incidents come just days after a Russian submarine suffered “catastrophic” damage and a landing ship was destroyed in a missile attack on the Black Sea Fleet’s Sevastopol naval base.
In their latest update on the war, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said that despite the setbacks, the fleet “almost certainly remains capable of fulfilling its core wartime missions of cruise missile strikes and local security patrols”.
But they added: “It is likely that its ability to continue wider regional security patrols and enforce its de facto blockade of Ukrainian ports will be diminished.
“It also likely has a degraded ability to defend its assets in port and to conduct routine maintenance.”
The MoD said there is a “dynamic, deep strike battle is underway in the Black Sea”.
“This is likely forcing Russia into a reactive posture whilst demonstrating that Ukraine’s military can undermine the Kremlin’s symbolic and strategic power projection from its warm water port in occupied Sevastopol,” they said.
The MoD said yesterday that Russian troops are suffering “extreme disillusionment” as the war drags on.
Since Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 – intending to seize the whole country – his troops have only managed to secure approximately 22% of Ukrainian land.