UK says Russia forced to constrain its fleet to port, but even there its ships are sinking

Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom, has commented on the latest Ukrainian strikes on two Russian landing ships, the Yamal and the Azov, in Russian-occupied Sevastopol, Crimea.

Source: Grant Shapps on X (Twitter)

Details: Shapps said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin's illegal occupation of Ukraine "is exacting a massive cost on Russia's Black Sea Fleet which is now functionally inactive".

"Russia has sailed the Black Sea since 1783 but is now forced to constrain its fleet to port. And even there Putin's ships are sinking!", Shapps tweeted in response to an announcement by the Ukrainian defence forces that Ukraine had successfully struck the Russian Ropucha-class landing ships Yamal and Azov, as well as a communications centre and several other Russian Black Sea Fleet infrastructure facilities in the occupied city of Sevastopol.

Background:

• Reports emerged late on 23 March that cruise missiles had hit the main communications centre of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the occupied city of Sevastopol, Crimea.

• UK Defence Intelligence said on 20 March that Russia was making efforts to expand and improve its use of camouflage to mitigate the heavy losses suffered by its Black Sea Fleet and Aerospace Forces over the past two years.

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