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Fearing Ukrainian Strikes, Russian Navy Halts Sea Mine Operations in Black Sea
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![Ivan_khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
-21d0b63c17f6020e4df75f6c6f9a2f4f.jpg "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Russian naval vessels have largely remained at their home ports, avoiding operations in the Black Sea due to the growing risk of being targeted by Ukrainian forces. As a result, Russia has effectively ceased laying sea mines in the region, according to the Ukrainian Navy.
Speaking on Suspilne News on April 15, Navy spokesperson Captain 3rd Rank Dmytro Pletenchuk said that the Russian fleet’s continued absence from the Black Sea is driven by concerns over potential strikes on their remaining warships.
According to Pletenchuk, Ukraine’s deployment of unmanned systems and domestically produced Neptune missiles across both the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov has significantly increased the threat level for Russian naval operations.
“They are unable to lay mines. This task requires either deploying ships into the sea or, as previously done, using aircraft to lay mines remotely,” Pletenchuk explained. “That hasn’t happened for a while now — not because of a change in Russia’s intentions or any so-called goodwill gesture, but due to the real threat of losing those aircraft.”
The reduced activity by Russian forces has led to a noticeable decrease in new explosive threats in the Black Sea, he added.
Earlier, Ukraine’s Navy reported that none of the Russian warships remaining in occupied Crimea are combat-ready. According to spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk, the vessels are either under repair or part of the auxiliary fleet.
He noted that Russian ships in Sevastopol are frequently relocated to avoid Ukrainian strikes, and while new ships are being built in Crimea, they are not currently considered priority targets. Russia has no active combat ships in the Black or Azov Seas but continues to use the Black Sea to launch Shahed drones.
