Black Sea Fleet Intelligence Report: Russia Moves Ships Fearing Ukraine Attack

Created: 01/14/2023 12:26 p.m

By: Andreas Schmid

A Russian warship in the port of Novorossiysk.

© IMAGO/Vitaly Timkiv

Russia apparently moves its ships from the Novorossiysk naval base.

Does the Black Sea Fleet fear a Ukrainian attack?

London/Novorossiysk – According to British military experts, Russia has let at least ten ships from its Black Sea fleet leave the port of Novorossiysk for fear of a Ukrainian attack.

Given the number and type of ships, it is likely that Russia is responding to a specific threat it believes it perceives, the Defense Secretary's daily intelligence update on the Ukraine war said in London on Saturday.

Russia is moving its ships out of fear of a Ukrainian attack.

Ukriane War: Russia moves ships from Novorossiysk - Fleet fixated on suspected threats

According to the British, it is unlikely that the departure of the ships on January 11 could have anything to do with an upcoming Russian military operation in the Ukraine war.

"The Black Sea Fleet is fixated on suspected threats from Ukraine and continues to prioritize protecting its forces from offensive or patrol engagements," the statement continued.

The US naval portal Navalnews recently reported that Russian warships and submarines were heading for Ukraine.

Several ships left Novorossiysk for Sevastopol.

The portal speculated that it was more an operation than an exercise, as the latter was too dangerous.

Russian Black Sea Fleet in Ukraine War: Moskva sinks

Novorossiysk is a port city in Krasnodar Krai on mainland Russia.

The city has around 240,000 inhabitants and is considered an important business location in the foothills of the Caucasus.

In Novorossiysk there is a naval base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

It is stationed in various ports of the Black and Azov Seas, its main base is Sevastopol.

The Russian Black Sea Fleet is actively involved in the Ukraine war, so Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin increased the fleet at the end of 2021.

Then in February, the Kremlin reinforced its maritime military with a total of six warships.

The Russian warship Moskva sank in the Black Sea in mid-April.

After Ukrainian shelling there was an explosion, at least 17 soldiers died and others are missing.