The Ministry of Defenсe of the Russian Federation replaced the commander of the Black Sea Fleet to protect him from Ukrainian attacks.
Experts analyse the change of commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet
According to military analysts, Sergei Shoigu's position as Russian Federation's Minister of Defence regarding the "protection" of the Black Sea Fleet creates conditions for the minister to either take credit for himself if the Black Sea Fleet defends itself more effectively against Ukrainian strikes or blame other commanders if it fails in these efforts.
It is noted that strikes by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Black Sea forced the Black Sea Fleet to redeploy most of its naval assets from its main base in Sevastopol to smaller bases with lesser capabilities in Novorossiysk and other locations.
According to the Center for Strategic Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (StratCom), Ukraine disabled approximately 33% of Black Sea Fleet warships as of early February 2024, including 24 ships and one submarine.
The ISW report also notes that Shoigu visited the Black Sea Fleet's command post in occupied Sevastopol, Crimea, where he was briefed on Ukrainian operations and the Black Sea Fleet's effectiveness.
According to him, the Black Sea Fleet should conduct daily exercises to repel strikes. He ordered the fleet to install additional weapons, including large-calibre systems and machine guns, to strengthen Russian defences.
Shoigu also heard a report from Russian Vice Admiral Sergei Pinchuk, who, according to some Russian sources, recently replaced Admiral Viktor Sokolov as commander of the Black Sea Fleet. However, ISW could not confirm this claim, the report said.
What is the situation in the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation
After several significant losses of Russian ships in the Black Sea, on March 10, the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation removed Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy. It replaced him with Admiral Oleksandr Moiseyev as the commander of the Northern Fleet.
The Ukrainian Navy noted that Russia is currently in a situation where it has to find a solution to avoid further losses at sea.
On the night of March 4-5, the DIU "Group 13" special unit near the Kerch Strait attacked the Black Sea Fleet "Serhiy Kotov" patrol ship.
As a result of the attack by Magura V5 naval drones, the ship was destroyed. This is the third ship in Russia's Black Sea Fleet that sank in the last five weeks.
