Russian warships resupplying further from frontline amid Ukrainian attacks
Russian warships are being resupplied further away from the frontline - apparently as a result of Ukrainian attacks on the Black Sea Fleet.
A Grigorievich-class guided missile frigate has been spotted being rearmed the the port of Novorossiysk, when in the past this has taken place at the Black Sea Fleet's base in Sevastopol in Crimea, according to a UK MOD intelligence update.
The update said: "The Black Sea Fleet has largely withdrawn its ships and submarines from Sevastopol further eastwards to Novorossiysk.
"Since the removal of the BSF commander in March 2024, the fleet has been the least active since the war began."
The Russian navy witnessed significant turnover in its senior ranks following substantial losses to the Black Sea Fleet.
Vice Admiral Sergey Pinchuk replaced Admiral Victor Sokolov as commander of the BSF, a position that Adm Sokolov had held since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
In March, Russian media reported that the Kremlin had fired its navy chief after a series of attacks by Ukraine on the Black Sea Fleet.
According to the newspaper Izvestia, Vladimir Putin replaced Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, who has been in command of the navy since 2019 with Admiral Alexander Moiseyev, who had been in command of the Northern Fleet.
Keeping the fleet in Novorossiysk is Russia's "best method of avoiding Ukrainian sea-borne attacks", according to the intelligence update.
The base at Novorossiysk is being upgraded, as this appears to be a long-term arrangement.
Located more than 200 miles away from Sevastopol to the east, in Krasnodar Krai, the city of Novorossiysk hosts one of the largest ports on the Black Sea.
The increased distance might pose challenges for Ukraine's unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), commonly referred to as 'sea drones', in continuing their previously effective destruction of Russian vessels.
Join Our Newsletter
