Ukrainian troops have managed to take down “integral” elements of Russia’s maritime power, according to UK intelligence officials.
The ministry of defence (MoD) claimed in its latest social media update that Vladimir Putin’s “naval capabilities in the Black Sea” are now “significantly constrained through highly effective Ukrainian operations”.
The intelligence officials explained this was a particular blow to the Kremlin because “Russia’s leadership almost certainly perceived the Russian Federation Navy and the Black Sea Fleet as integral components of their maritime power” before the 2022 invasion.
That’s because the Ukrainian Navy used to be “vastly outnumbered” by Russia’s naval forces and was limited to “a small number of major warships and coastal defence vessels”.
In fact, Kyiv’s troops have been unable to “operate conventionally in the Black Sea” over the last three years, according to the officials.
Even so, the UK now believes Ukrainian troops have managed to inflict significant damage on their opponents’ ships.
“Since 24 February 2022, Ukrainian forces have destroyed or damaged at least 24 Russian vessels operating in the Black Sea,” the British officials said.
The MoD said that that includes the jewel in the Russian fleet’s crown, the Black Sea Fleet flagship, Slava-Class cruiser ‘MOSKVA’, “previously been described as a cutting-edge air defence platform”.
Putin’s Black Sea Fleet has subsequently had to move all of its major assets from Crimea’s Sevastopol to a city on Russia’s mainland, in the Eastern Black Sea, Novorossiyk.
However, the MoD officials noted those forces are still able to conduct long-range strikes into Ukraine to back up the land offensives.
The update is a reminder that, despite Ukraine’s small victories on the frontline, Russia continues to have the upper hand on the battlefield.
Putin still holds around a fifth of Ukrainian territory and is gradually pushing his troops forward, albeit at a shockingly high casualty rate.
Meanwhile, US president Donald Trump is pushing to end the war as soon as possible – and seems willing to give in to Putin’s demands just to put a stop to the violence.