Due to the threat of Ukrainian attacks, Russia has withdrawn its Kilo-class submarines from the annexed Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, according to a British intelligence report.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The ships of the Black Sea Fleet have been moved from their home port of Sevastopol to the southern Russian port city of Novorossiysk, the Ministry of Defence in London reported on Tuesday in its daily intelligence update on the Ukraine war.
The reason was most likely that the Ukrainian capability to attack at a greater distance had increased and therefore the security situation in Crimea had changed, it said in London: "In the last two months, the fleet headquarters and its main naval aviation airfield have been attacked."
The ministry pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putin's 2014 annexation of Crimea was also intended to guarantee the security of the Black Sea Fleet. "Base security has now been directly undermined by Russia's continued aggression against Ukraine," it noted.
The British Ministry of Defence has been publishing daily information on the course of the war against Ukraine since the Russian war began at the end of February, citing intelligence information.
In this way, the British government wants to both counter the Russian narrative and keep allies informed. Moscow accuses London of a targeted disinformation campaign.
Australian Associated Press
