The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said that Vladimir Putin’s Black Sea Fleet are having issues to reload cruise missiles.
The Black Sea Fleet (BSF) are unable to reload the cruise missiles amid threats of long-range Ukrainian strikes which are hitting the Russian port of Sevastopol in Crimea.
The British MoD said on Saturday’s intelligence briefing, “Traditionally, BSF has reloaded cruise missiles at Sevastopol in Crimea.
“With that facility increasingly held at risk by Ukrainian long-range strikes, Russia will highly likely see Novorossiysk as the best alternative site.
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However, relocating and reloading the missiles would require new delivery, storage, handling and loading processes.
On 13 November 2023, the Ukrainian military claimed that Russia has paused firing maritime cruise missiles because of ‘logistical problems’ at Novorossiysk.”
The MoD said that Moscow will have to overcome their issues imminently “in time for maritime cruise missiles to be included in any winter campaign of strikes against Ukraine.”
Russian Black Sea fleet are “gradually fleeing from Crimea” which is a historic achievement for Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials have said that Russian forces have a “powerful hub” of military resources and hundreds of missiles deployed in Crimea.
Russia are preparing for a winter bombing campaign on Ukraine’s energy and civilian infrastructure.
“In particular, Kalibr-type missiles are concentrated there, and Onyx-type missiles are also launched from the Crimean Peninsula.
“The enemy is accumulating potential – this is obvious.”
Humenyuk said that air-based missiles have been strategically positioned for loading into warplanes, meaning Russian forces have a high level of preparedness.
“We are talking about the readiness of more than 800 missiles in total to be used by the enemy for the stage of energy terror,” she added.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said, “We must be prepared for the possibility that the enemy may increase the number of drone or missile strikes on our infrastructure.”
Nataliya Humenyuk, spokeswoman for the Ukrainian Southern Military Command said, “We know that the enemy has a powerful hub of military resources deployed on the Crimean Peninsula.
Putin has signed a deal to have the Black Sea Fleet permanently stationed on the coast of Abkhazia which was captured during the Russian war in Georgia.
Moscow tabloid, Izvestia was told by Aslan Bzhania, leader of the region, that Putin will soon have a Naval base of “permanent point of deployment.”
Bzhania, the Russian installed president of Abkhazia, said the agreement had been made for a Russian Naval base in the Ochamchira region.
