How many ships are there in the Russian Black Sea Fleet – answer of a military expert
The Russian Black Sea Fleet includes various warships. Fakty ICTV learned what they are and how many of them there are from military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko.
How many ships does Russia have – the composition of the Black Sea Fleet
– It is no longer quite correct to call it a fleet, because it is more like a flotilla. Back in 2022, the Russians lost their 1st-ranked ship, the Moskva missile cruiser. And how can a fleet be called a fleet without a rank 1 ship?” Kovalenko notes.
The Black Sea Fleet has six long-range patrol ships – frigates and corvettes, mostly of the 1135 and 11356P projects, and corvettes of the 20380 project.
These ships are dangerous because, for example, 11356R is a carrier of Kalibr cruise missiles.
Among other things, the enemy has five more large amphibious assault ships that can be used for logistics. These are mostly Tapir 775 and 1171 projects.
The Russians also use submarines of the 636.3 Varshavianka project to strike at the territory of Ukraine – they have five submarines.
– The sixth was the Rostov-on-Don submarine, which was destroyed in 2023 while undergoing repairs in a dry dock in Sevastopol,” the expert recalls.
“Among other things, they have seven more small missile ships of the 22800 Karakurt project, as well as 21631 Buyan-M and 1239 Sivuch.
These are the most dangerous small missile ships because they are carriers of sea-launched Caliber cruise missiles.
These ships are the most dangerous component of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the expert notes. Some of them are missile carriers, while others, such as large landing ships, are also a threat.
– “Currently, there is no great threat of landing in Odesa and Mykolaiv regions,” Kovalenko emphasizes.
“But these ships are used for transportation between the mainland of the Russian Federation and the temporarily occupied Crimea. They mainly transport equipment and ammunition. These can be not only artillery shells, but also Shakeda 131-136 kamikaze drones.
In addition, the Russian Black Sea Fleet includes:
- minesweepers
- rescue boats and tugs
- reconnaissance ships
- tankers and other special-purpose ships.
In which ports are Russian ships based
The Black Sea Fleet’s naval base points:
- Sevastopol;
- Feodosia
- Donuzlav;
- Novorossiysk.
But in 2023, the Russians were forced to flee from their main base in Sevastopol to Novorossiysk, Kovalenko said.
