Since the beginning of the war, Ukraine has destroyed a fifth of the Russian fleet

When Russia's “Great Black Sea Fleet” appeared off the coast of Ukraine's Odessa in early March 2022, the world held its breath. With more than 70 warships – one of the largest in the world – the Russian fleet was “invincible.” Or at least that's what Kremlin propaganda said about it.

Since then, the image of Russia's largest naval power has changed. It is a “power” that has become a burden on the Russian army and a source of shame for the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin himself.

Historically, Russia is not an important maritime power

More Ukrainian attacks followed, sinking ship after ship at sea and in dry docks. Kiev managed to sink a total of 13 ships! – And even the demolition of the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet in occupied Sevastopol.

Recently, Ukrainian drones attacked the missile cruiser Ivanovets, hitting it several times, eventually causing anti-ship missiles on board to explode, sinking the 56-meter-long ship.

Continued article below the video

For historian and Eastern European expert Jan-Clas Berends of the European Viadrina University, the weakness of the Russian navy is not surprising.

– Historically, Russia is not a major naval power. The country's strength has always been its army, not its navy. This also applies to the Black Sea, where part of the fleet was sunk during the Crimean War of 1854 and after the revolution of 1918.

Beyond the myth built around it, the fleet continued to lose its effectiveness after the fall of the Soviet Union. “The successes achieved by Ukraine against Putin’s warships since 2022 show the lack of modernity of the equipment and the lack of professionalism of the sailors,” Berends explains.

Ukraine revealed what it used to attack and sink the warship

Military Intelligence Chief Kirilo Budanov proudly announced that six Navy drones attacked and eventually destroyed a Russian warship off the western coast of Crimea, which has been occupied since 2014. The Ukrainian-made floating drones were first demonstrated in mid-2017 2023.

The floating weapons systems are only five and a half meters long, weigh about a ton and carry up to 320 kg of explosives in their hulls. At a speed of 40 kilometers per hour they can cover up to 800 kilometers and are constantly connected to the commander on the ground via radio and video.

Cover Photos / Orient News / Brynjar Gunnarsson / Associated Press / Orient News / Matthias Berlin / Orient News

Ukrainian drones sank the Russian ship Ivanovich

Moreover, the cost of floating combat drones is only about PLN 250 thousand. Euros per piece. It is a price worth it, considering that the value of the ship “Ivanovic”, which sank on Thursday, was worth more than 65 million euros.

The Russian Black Sea Fleet on the peninsula was vulnerable to attack despite huge spending to strengthen the defense of the Crimean peninsula. In 2014, immediately after the annexation of the peninsula, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu promised to invest 86 billion rubles in air and marine defense by 2020. However, this did not help prevent the successful Kiev attacks.

Sigmund Shortle

“Coffee enthusiast. Troublemaker. Incurable introvert. Subtly charming twitter scholar. Award-winning social mediaholic. Internet buff.”

Since the beginning of the war, Ukraine has destroyed a fifth of the Russian fleet

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Since the beginning of the war, Ukraine has destroyed a fifth of the Russian fleet

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Historically, Russia is not an important maritime power

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