 | This article needs to be updated. (May 2024) |
| Russian Black Sea Fleet | |
|---|---|
| Черноморский флот | |
 Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet | |
| Active | 13 May 1783 – present |
| Allegiance |
|
| Branch |  Russian Navy |
| Role | Naval warfare; Amphibious military operations; Combat patrols in the Black Sea and occupied Sea of Azov |
| Size | 25,000 personnel (including marines)[1] (in 2014) c. approx 50 surface warships (frigates, corvettes, missile boats, minesweepers) plus landing ships, oilers, tugs, survey, intelligence and auxiliary vessels 6 submarines (2 of which are in the Mediterranean)[2][3] |
| Part of | .svg){kind=small} Russian Armed Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Sevastopol (HQ), Feodosia (Crimea) Novorossiysk HQ, Tuapse, Temryuk (Krasnodar Krai) Taganrog (Rostov Oblast) |
| Anniversaries | 13 May |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Vice Adm. Sergei Pinchuk |
| Notable commanders | Grigory Potemkin Adm. Fyodor Ushakov Adm. Alexander Menshikov Adm. Pavel Nakhimov Adm. Yevgeni Alekseyev Adm. Andrey Ehbergard Adm. Alexander Kolchak Adm. Ivan Yumashev Adm. Filipp Oktyabrskiy Adm. Lev Vladimirsky Fleet Adm. Sergey Gorshkov Fleet Adm. Vladimir Kasatonov Adm. Vladimir Masorin |
| Navies of Russia |
|---|
The Black Sea Fleet (Russian: Черноморский флот, romanized: Chernomorskiy flot) is the fleet of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean Sea. The Black Sea Fleet, along with other Russian ground and air forces on the Crimean Peninsula, are subordinate to the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces. The fleet traces its history to its founding by Prince Potemkin on 13 May 1783 as part of the Imperial Russian Navy. The Russian SFSR inherited the fleet in 1918; with the founding of the Soviet Union in 1922, it became part of the Soviet Navy. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Black Sea Fleet was partitioned between the Russian Federation and Ukraine in 1997, with Russia receiving title to 82% of the vessels.
The Black Sea Fleet has its official primary headquarters and facilities at the Sevastopol Naval Base, Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The rest of the fleet's facilities are based in locations on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, including Krasnodar Krai, Rostov Oblast and Crimea.
The ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War led to major operations and losses due to Ukrainian missiles and umanned surface vehicles including the flagship Moskva and several landing vessels. Additionally, there was a 2023 Ukrainian missile strike against the Black Sea Fleet HQ in Sevastopol itself;[4][5] After another attack on 24 March 2024, a Ukraine spokesperson said that they have disabled or damaged one third of the fleet during the war.[6] In June, Ukraine said was now highly likely that they had destroyed all of the Black Sea Fleet's missile carrier capability based in Crimea.[7] On 2 August, another missile attack sank a Russian submarine that was under repair.
- ^ "Шойгу: действия Минобороны РФ в Крыму были вызваны угрозой жизни мирного населения". itar-tass.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
- ^ Altman, Jonathan (Winter 2016). "Russian A2/AD in the Eastern Mediterranean: A Growing Risk". Naval War College Review. 69 (1). Newport, Rhode Island: U.S. Naval War College: 72. ISSN 0028-1484.
- ^ "Russia's Black Sea Fleet Completes the First Stage of its Modernization". Naval News. 21 May 2020. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
- ^ Barnes, Joe (22 September 2023). "Storm Shadow missile 'tears open' Black Sea Fleet HQ in Crimea". Telegraph. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ Dooley, Matthew (23 September 2023). "Putin's top Black Sea Admiral 'killed' as Ukraine launches multi-pronged attack". Express.co.uk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
PBS NewsHour-2024was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Jankowicz, Mia. "Ukraine says it may have destroyed Russia's last cruise missile carrier based out of Crimea". Business Insider. Retrieved 6 June 2024.