Russian warships have not been on combat duty in the Black Sea for five days after the loss of the corvette Sergei Kotov
According to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, no Russian naval ships were spotted in the Black Sea on Sunday morning. Meanwhile, three Russian warships are in the Mediterranean Sea and another in the Sea of Azov. The day before, the press service of the Defense Forces of southern Ukraine said that Russian missile carriers had been in their home base for 20 days in a row.
On the night of March 4-5, special forces of the Ukrainian State Security Service destroyed the newest patrol ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the Sergei Kotov. This ship was launched in January 2021 and joined the fleet in July 2022. Its crew amounted to 80 people. The ship can be fitted with strike armament, in particular Kalibr missiles and anti-ship X-35U Uran missiles.
During two years of full-scale war, Russia lost more than 20 vessels, including landing ships, submarines, and the flagship cruiser “Moskva,” according to Oryx. Novaya Gazeta military expert Valery Shiryaev estimated that the Black Sea Fleet lost at least 15 vessels, including the Sergei Kotov. Before the full-scale invasion, the fleet had 74 warships. Among the latest significant losses were the large landing ships “Novocherkassk” and “Caesar Kunikov”, as well as the missile boat “Ivanovets”.
