MOSCOW, July 30 — RIA Novosti, Andrey Kotz. Navy servicemen celebrate a professional holiday. Many are in the war zone. From the first days of its fleet is very active. About the most significant operations — in the material of RIA Novosti.
The "Long Arm" of Moscow
The first strikes on the AFU positions were carried out by the Black Sea sailors on the night of February 24, 2022. Frigates, small rocket ships and diesel-electric submarines "Varshavyanka" fired at the critical infrastructure of the Ukrainian troops, hitting airfields, headquarters and arsenals.
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. In a year and a half, the fleet has produced more than 200 "Calibers".
At the same time, they took control of a significant part of the water area. Destroyed or captured almost all combat-ready ships and vessels of the Navy and Maritime Security. The surviving pennants are locked in the bases. The Ukrainian fleet, having lost five of the nine armored boats of projects 58150 "Gyurza" and 58181 "Centaur", suffered huge losses and in fact no longer exists.
Berdyansk and Akkerman river armored boats of Project 58150 Gyurza during sea trials in the open sea
Image source: CC BY-SA 2.0 / Ministry of Defense of Ukraine / Khodovi vyprobuvannya dvoh malikh artileriyskikh bronekateriv u vidritomu mori
At the same time, three units are included in the Black Sea Fleet and now serve under the St. Andrew's flag.
Ukrainians tried to strike at the infrastructure and ships of the Black Sea Fleet with unmanned boats, attacked the reconnaissance ships "Azov Sea" and "Ivan Khurs", as well as the corvette "Sergey Kotov". All the drones have been destroyed.
However, the fleet still suffered losses. For 17 months, the Black Sea residents have lost several pennants, including the flagship missile cruiser "Moscow", a large landing ship "Saratov", several boats.
Other tasks
A special role is played by the coastal rocket and artillery troops of the Black Sea Fleet, based mostly in the Crimea. Their Bastion and Bal strike complexes, designed to destroy ships, work perfectly on the ground. They have already hit about 100 objects. In particular, batteries deployed in the west of the peninsula hit the port infrastructure of Odessa and Nikolaev.
The naval aviation of the Black Sea Fleet conducted over four thousand sorties. The pilots, according to the Ministry of Defense, destroyed six planes and helicopters, shot down more than 40 drones.
The Fleet also solved humanitarian problems. The forces of the Novorossiysk naval Base cleared the port of Mariupol and the coastal strip near the city. They destroyed anchor and bottom mines. 13 sunken objects with a total displacement of almost 7,200 tons were raised.
Black berets
But perhaps the heaviest burden fell on the Navy Marines. It is actively used both in assaults and in defense, and in the hottest areas.
Marines of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in positions in the zone of the special operation
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Alexey Maishev
In February 2022, troops landed on the unequipped coast near Berdyansk. The fighters of the 810th separate Guards Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet captured an extensive bridgehead, from which the liberation of the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions began. In addition, they stormed Volnovakha, were among the first to enter Mariupol.
The sailors and officers of the 810th were ahead of the rest, advancing where other units were retreating. And snipers did not allow Ukrainian soldiers to raise their heads around the clock. Mariupol managed to be taken with a one—to-one ratio of forces - this has happened extremely rarely in military history.
Marines of the Black Sea Fleet of Russia in positions in the zone of its
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Alexey Maishev
No less effective are the marines of the Pacific Fleet, fighting for nine time zones from home. The fighters of the 40th brigade were involved in the capture of Popasna in the LPR. Together with colleagues from the 155th brigade, they took Pavlovka and for many months, despite heavy shelling, they have been besieging Ugledar, which is strategically important for the AFU. As a result, both brigades were awarded the honorary name "Guards".
The fighters of the 336th Separate Guards Brigade of the Baltic Fleet are also fighting from the very beginning. Participated in the battles for Mariupol. And now they are part of the Vostok grouping, occupying the northern flank of the Vremevsky salient in the South Donets direction. The Baltics do not allow assault groups of Ukrainian troops to approach the defense line. Marines from the 177th regiment of the Caspian Flotilla are fighting next to them in Zaporozhye.
The soldiers of the 61st separate brigade of the Northern Fleet Marines received, perhaps, the richest experience. This is the only marine corps unit that has managed to visit most parts of the front since the beginning of the military operation. In May 2022, they fought in the "Sherwood Forest" near Raisins. After that - near Donetsk, as well as at the Lisichansk and Kharkiv sites. Now — in the Kherson direction.
New ships
In the current conditions, the fleet is still being updated. In early July, the Black Sea Fleet handed over a small rocket ship (MRC) of the 22800 Cyclone project. Three of his "classmates" — "Askold", "Cloud" and "Amur" — will arrive before the end of the year. Each of the small pennants with a displacement of 800 tons carries eight "Calibers". In the future, these MRCS can be re-equipped with hypersonic "Zircons".
Small rocket ship "Cyclone" made the transition to Sevastopol from Novorossiysk
Image source: © RIA Novosti
The plans are to equip the Navy with a patrol "Victor the Great". The pennant of a similar project 22160 "Sergey Kotov" entered service exactly a year ago. They do not have tactical shock weapons, but they are equipped with a 76-millimeter cannon, two 14.5-millimeter machine guns in pedestal installations, anti-sabotage grenade launchers and a modern sonar station. Everything serves as protection from marine drones.
In addition, in the very near future, the Black Sea Fleet will be replenished with the newest tugboat "Captain Sergeev", similar to the previously received "Captain Found". In total, up to 30 ships of various purposes and ranks will be transferred to the Navy by the end of 2023.
