Following strikes by the Ukrainian defense forces against several dozen Russian ships, Russians have begun deploying submarines to patrol the Black Sea. Presently, there are four submarines in the Azov-Black Sea region, according to Dmytro Pletenchuk, Head of the Strategic Communications Center of the Southern Defense Forces, commented on air on the national telethon.
“In the Black Sea, Russian Federation forces are currently conducting operations with submarines. They have established a routine where these submarines rotate in the morning.”
In the Azov-Black Sea region, they possess a total of four submarines, three of which are equipped with cruise missiles. Two submarines routinely embark on sea patrols,” according to Pletenchuk.
He additionally noted that “the Russian forces have decided that it is safer in the Sea of Azov, and now they are trying to organize a training process there for their ships.”
Currently, there are three large amphibious Russian ships, along with three additional small missile ships from the Buyan-M project in the Sea of Azov.
Pletenchuk added that “to protect their ships in the Sea of Azov from Ukrainian drones, the Russians are building structures in the form of barges and background barriers.”
According to him, the Sea of Azov has shallow depths, leaving a few possible routes and mixing with civilian vessels: “They (military vessels of the Russian Federation — ed.) mix with civilian vessels there. They try to use this to complicate our work.”
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Navy has lost 56 warships, including the large landing ships Moskva, Minsk, Yamal, and others.
Ukraine has ramped up operations in the Black Sea, using a mix of long-range missiles and Ukrainian-made sea drones.
Earlier in May, the Russian Federation lost its last carrier of cruise missiles in the Black Sea.
