The destruction of the Black Sea Fleet began with the sinking of the cruiser "Moskva," which was targeted by Ukrainian anti-ship missiles in April 2022, marking a significant informational victory for Kiev.
This was shared with 19FortyFive by Brent Iswitt, a former U.S. Army infantry officer, Ph.D., and military expert. He noted that since that time, Ukrainian drone strikes and precision missile attacks have considerably weakened Russia's naval operations.
As a result of this conflict, the Russian Black Sea Fleet has become incapable of performing essential functions, such as launching missile strikes against Ukraine or supplying military reinforcements to the southern front. Now, Russian vessels are compelled to maintain their distance, as Ukrainian missiles and drones pose a significant threat to them.
The defeat of the Black Sea Fleet stands as one of Putin's most significant military failures in this conflict. Prior to the war, the Russian fleet controlled vital strategic locations, including the port of Sevastopol in Crimea, which provided an advantage in the Black Sea. However, following a series of attacks by Ukrainian forces, Russia was forced to withdraw its ships from Crimea, losing control over the waters in that region.
After the fleet's defeat, the strategic landscape in the Black Sea has dramatically shifted. Ukrainian forces have been able to resume maritime trade, significantly undermining the effectiveness of the naval blockade that Russia attempted to impose. At the same time, the Russians have lost the ability to launch attacks on Ukrainian cities from the sea, and their fleet has become "functionally inactive," according to British assessments.
This has also served as a crucial lesson for other naval forces, including those of the U.S. and China. Traditional strategies of large fleet dominance appear to have become less effective. The anti-ship missiles and drones utilized by Ukraine to destroy Russian ships are now regarded as key tools for controlling maritime domains in modern warfare.
Source: 19fortyfive.