Putin’s naval base in Crimea weakened by Ukrainian attacks

VLADIMIR PUTIN’S naval commanders have moved submarines away from Crimea after Ukrainian attacks deep into the peninsula, British defence chiefs said today.

- Nicholas Cecil

They argued that the Russian president’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 was partly to ensure a base there for his Black Sea Fleet but this aim had now been weakened.

In its latest intelligence update, the Ministry of Defence in London said: “The command of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has almost certainly relocated its KILO-class submarines from their home port of Sevastopol in Crimea to Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai, southern Russia.

“This is highly likely due to the recent change in the local security threat level in the face of increased Ukrainian long-range strike capability. Guaranteeing the Black Sea Fleet’s Crimea basing was likely one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s motivations for annexing the peninsula in 2014.”