Satellite imagery indicates that a number of Russian naval ships have been relocated to other ports in the Black Sea following several devastating Ukrainian missile strikes on the Crimean port of Sevastopol.
As many as a dozen ships, including frigates, landing ships and submarines now appear to be moored at Novorossiysk, according to satellite imagery over the past few weeks.
CNN can confirm that some of the ships did come from Sevastopol, the home port of Black Sea Fleet, but additional satellite imagery reviewed by CNN shows a number of military vessels remain in that port.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) commented that imagery from October 1 and October 3 “reportedly shows that Russian forces recently moved the Admiral Makarov and Admiral Essen frigates, three diesel submarines, five landing ships, and several small missile ships” to Novorossiysk.
At least one other ship had been moved to the port of Feodosia in eastern Crimea.
ISW noted that satellite imagery taken on October 2 shows four Russian landing ships and one Kilo-class submarine remaining in Sevastopol.
Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, said Thursday that the Black Sea Fleet was “constantly dispersing its ships. They realize that these are our targets and are constantly moving them between several ports.”
He said four ships were currently in the Black Sea.
Pletenchuk also noted Russian “defense and security efforts around the so-called Crimean Bridge have been reinforced again….Now we see 9 units there – 4 ships and 5 boats of the Border Guard Service, the FSB maritime guard. They are guarding this facility from the north and from the south.”
A Moscow-based institute, the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies,…
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