Houses destroyed in Russian missile strike
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has been forced into a major retreat from a Crimea port, according to a US war think tank, illustrating what British Defence Minister James Heappey has called its “functional defeat”.
Over the first days of October, at least 10 of Vladimir Putin’s prized warships retreated 237 miles to “bases further in the Russian rear”, from Sevastopol to Novorossiysk, satellite imagery has reportedly shown, following intensified Ukrainian attacks in recent weeks.
The Institute for the Study of War said on Wednesday: “The Russian military recently transferred several Black Sea Fleet (BSF) vessels from the port in occupied Sevastopol, Crimea to the port in Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai, likely in an effort to protect them from continued Ukrainian strikes on Russian assets in occupied Crimea.”
It comes as the British government warned Russia may use Black Sea mines to target non-military ships and blame Ukraine for any attacks.
Foreign secretary James Cleverly said: “Russia’s pernicious targeting of civilian shipping in the Black Sea demonstrates Putin’s total disregard for civilian lives and the needs of the world’s most vulnerable. The world is watching – and we see right through Russia’s cynical attempts to lay blame on Ukraine for their attacks.”
