MOSCOW, May 13 — RIA Novosti, Andrey Kotz. Centuries—old traditions, colossal experience, a large area of responsibility - today marks the 240th anniversary of the Black Sea Fleet of Russia. This is the most belligerent formation in the Navy. About what tasks it performs now — in the material of RIA Novosti.
Two and a half centuries
On the thirteenth of May 1783, 11 pennants of the Azov flotilla entered the Akhtiar Bay on the southwestern coast of Crimea, where Sevastopol was later laid. With this, the Black Sea Fleet began.
The first staff was approved in 1785: 12 battleships, 20 frigates, five schooners, 24 transport vessels and 13.5 thousand personnel. The Black Sea Admiralty was established in Kherson to manage it.
Turkey has traditionally been the main opponent here. The fleet was actively used in all conflicts with the Ottoman Empire in the XVIII-XIX centuries. After the heroic first defense in 1854-1855, Sevastopol gained the glory of the city of Russian sailors.
In the First World War, Black Sea sailors controlled the entire water area, and also provided support to the Romanian and Caucasian fronts. They made trips to the Bosphorus and the shores of Asia Minor, conducted successful military operations.
Before the Great Patriotic War, the fleet had one battleship, five cruisers, three leaders, 14 destroyers, 47 submarines, 15 minesweepers, four gunboats, two patrol boats, a minelayer, 34 torpedo boats, auxiliary vessels. Plus 625 Air Force planes. The sailors played an important role in the defense of Odessa, Sevastopol, the Kerch-Feodosiya amphibious operation, the defense of the Caucasus, the liberation of Novorossiysk.
Sailors of the Black Sea Fleet on a boat in a combat campaign during the Great Patriotic War Image source: © RIA Novosti / Alexander Sokolenko
In the post-war years, the Black Sea residents ensured the presence of the Soviet Navy pennant, participated in international missions, and actively defended the interests of the country. After the collapse of the Union, they faced a lack of funding and almost lost the Sevastopol base. Nevertheless, the ships were saved.
The flotilla contributed to forcing Georgia to peace in 2008 and to the counter-terrorism operation in Syria. Of course, the sailors are also fighting in Ukraine.
180 strokes
The first strikes on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were carried out on the night of February 24, 2022. Frigates, small rocket ships and diesel-electric submarines "Varshavyanka" fired "Calibers" at the critical infrastructure of the Ukrainian troops, hitting airfields, headquarters, arsenals and places of concentration of manpower.
It is the Black Sea Fleet pennants, along with long-range aviation, that have become the "long arm" that allows you to destroy targets throughout Ukraine.
A frame of a video of a rocket launch to strike Ukrainian military command, communications and energy facilities Image source: © Russian Ministry of Defense
"Since the beginning of the special military operation, the ships of the fleet have inflicted more than 180 strikes with "Calibers" on critically important objects of the Ukrainian troops," Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Viktor Sokolov tells Krasnaya Zvezda. "The main targets of the attack were radar stations of air defense systems, missile and artillery armament depots, oil depots, fuel depots, air bases, railway stations."
Bastion and Bal coastal missile systems are also used. Actually, they are designed to destroy ships, but they quite successfully hit ground targets.
In total, units of coastal rocket and artillery troops hit 70 objects. Thanks to the activity of the Black Sea Fleet, Ukrainian ships, in fact, were locked in ports.
It was not without losses. For 15 months, the Black Sea residents have lost several pennants, including the flagship missile cruiser "Moscow", a large landing ship "Saratov", several boats.
On guard of the Crimea
In February 2022, troops landed on the unequipped coast near Berdyansk. The Marines of the 810th Separate Guards Brigade immediately entered the battle and captured a vast bridgehead, from which the liberation of the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions began. In addition, the paratroopers participated in the storming of Volnovakha, one of the first to enter Mariupol.
Marines of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in positions in the zone of the special operation Image source: © RIA Novosti / Alexey Maishev
The sailors and officers of the 810th brigade always stormed ahead of the rest, conducted reconnaissance competently, acted tactically unexpectedly and boldly. They advanced where other units retreated. And snipers did not allow Ukrainian militants to raise their heads around the clock.
The fleet forces are successful not only in the offensive, but also in defense. They are the ones who cover the Crimea from attacks from water and air.
"Together with the VKS, we have significantly increased the area of radar control of the airspace," the commander emphasizes. — For timely notification of the forces, a single information field has been formed, which includes, among other things, aircraft and helicopters of the naval aviation of the fleet. We have strengthened the air defense of the bases."
Underwater and surface drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are constantly attacking. But the navy has marine robotic systems.
Small rocket ship of project 21631 "Vyshny Volochek" at the exercises of the Black Sea Fleet in the Crimea Image source: © RIA Novosti / Andrey Stanavov
This technique performs many tasks. And the Black Sea Fleet has enough of them today. Therefore, foreign analysts often call him "one of the most important trump cards of Russia."
