20 Russian warships and submarines amassing in the Black Sea | World | News


Vladimir Putin’s troops have taken yet another step in Russia’s military campaign against Ukraine after it was revealed Moscow has assembled offensive vessels in the Black Sea. The Kremlin’s newest threat to Kyiv was exposed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in an intelligence update uploaded on Twitter this morning.

The MoD said: “Approximately 20 Russian Navy vessels are currently in the Black Sea operational zone, including submarines.

“The Bosporus Strait remains closed to all non-Turkish warships, rendering Russia unable to replace its lost cruiser Moskva in the Black Sea.

The MoD has also warned that the vessels assembling in the Black Sea could pose a serious threat to Ukraine.

They claimed: “Despite the embarrassing losses of the landing ship Saratov and cruiser Moskva, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet retains the ability to strike Ukrainian and coastal targets.”

The MoD’s intelligence update comes after Defence Secretary Ben Wallace claimed the Kremlin had sustained heavy losses since launching its invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Russian efforts to subdue Ukraine, which Vladimir Putin described as a “special military operation”, have resulted in 150,000 troops being killed.

However, Kyiv, who have the backing of Washington, argue they struck the vessel in a missile attack.

More recently, the Kremlin has deployed trained military dolphins at its naval base in the Black Sea, according to the US Naval Institute’s review.

It is thought the use of the aquatic mammal could help protect its fleet from an underwater attack



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