Storm Destroys Russian Naval Defenses Near Crimea, Leaving It Open To Sea Drone Attacks

According to satellite footage obtained by The War Zone, Russia’s fortifications at its Black Sea naval facility have been destroyed by a storm.

It may present a possibility for Ukraine. The outlet provided before and after satellite imagery by Planet Labs of the Sevastopol port.

The photographs appeared to show harm caused to a system of booms and barges installed by Russia after Ukraine assaulted military vessels in the area with seaborne drones. Sevastopol is Russia’s principal naval station in Crimea, which it has occupied, precisely since 2014.

Photos showed fewer defences in the water than earlier in the month, before the storm that ripped through Ukraine and caused major interruption to both sides’ fighting efforts.

Per The War Zone, some booms were disconnected, and some barges were no longer visible.

Following the storm, Russia’s officials in Crimea declared a state of emergency. According to Reuters, at least one person was killed in Crimea, and flooding was also reported.

It is unclear how long Russia will take to rebuild the fortifications, and Russia’s officials have documented the damage in Crimea but not the defences, according to The War Zone.

Ukraine has prioritized Sevastopol, so much so that Russia has pushed some objectives further away.

According to an October satellite imaging analysis, Russia withdrew the majority of its vessels far from the port when Ukraine increased its attacks.

Basil Germond, a maritime security specialist at the United Kingdom’s Lancaster University, has to say that the move demonstrated that Russia has apparently lost its dominance over the Black Sea.

Last month, UK intelligence authorities reported Russia had relocated some naval activities away from Crimea while Ukraine resumed its strikes.

In September, Ukraine carried out a major airstrike against the headquarters of its Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol. Another attack resulted in the destruction of a sub as well as a landing craft.

Ukraine has also been targeting the fleet with maritime drones, including an attack earlier in the month that Ukraine claimed hit two Russian warships.

Ukraine claims that elite Ukrainian forces have landed on Crimea and launched raids there.

Reference: Business Insider

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