Ukrainian submarines hit Russian Black Sea Fleet again

The Ukrainian attack on the New Russian war port shows once again that the Russian Black Sea Fleet has not regained a full sense of security even outside Crimea. Reports of a possible impact on one of the rocket frigates only reinforce the image of a war in which the submarine's unmanned systems increasingly effectively restrict the freedom of operation of Russian ships.

On Sunday, April 6, conflicting information about the frigate appeared in circulation, which could have been damaged during the Ukrainian attack on the naval base in Noworosyjsk. Some sources pointed to a rocket frigate Admiral Grigorovich, others for the twin unit Admiral Makarov. Regardless of these differences, the very fact that the target of the impact may have been one of the most important Russian rocket frigates shows the scale of the pressure on today Black Sea Fleet.

In the following hours, satellite image analysis began to appear on the X platform, which further gave the SeaWaves Magazine profile. According to the author of this analysis, publishing under the name Woofers, there were supposed to be signs of damage in the beak area of the frigate indicated as Admiral Makarov and in part of terminal infrastructure. However, such materials should be treated with caution as a complement to the picture of the situation and not as a final confirmation.

frigate project 11356R as an important marine component of the Black Sea Fleet

11356R rocket frigates, both of which Admiral Grigorovichand Admiral MakarovIt wasn't an accident to the Russians. A project derived from units built previously for India was reached because the Russian ship industry was unable to deliver larger ships of new types in a short time at the rate expected by the Navy.

In practice, this meant going back to a technologically proven solution. For Moscow The main importance was to quickly complement the potential of the Black Sea Fleet with ships capable of acting not only in the Black Sea but also in the Mediterranean. This was all the more important because for many years the fleet remained clearly neglected and its role began to grow with Russia's commitment to the Syrian direction and later in the war against Ukraine.

Project frigate project 11356R prepared Siewiernoje Design-Constructorskoje Office in St. Petersburg, using documentation of units built previously for India. A general construction system was maintained, adapting it to Russian requirements. As a result, ships were created to combat submarines and submarines, as well as to defend against aerial assault measures, both on their own and in a team of ships.

Importantly, these were not units conceived as a next generation demonstration, but as a practical tool for the rapid restoration of the greater water capacity of the Black Sea Fleet. That is why a possible hit of one of these frigates can mean more than just a tactical incident.

New Russian no longer gives the Russians a safe backdrop

However, the attack on the war port in Novorosyjsk itself shows that the transfer of part of Russian naval forces outside Crimea has not solved their security problem. If the Ukrainian attack was indeed the target of one of frigate project 11356R, we would be faced with further evidence that Ukrainian water-free systems force Russians to costly and increasingly exhaust their own backs defence.

From an operational perspective, it's not just about the possibility of damaging a particular ship. Equally important is that any such attack forces the Russian fleet to dissipate forces, strengthen base cover, engage additional surveillance measures and limit the activity of the units that were to operate from a relatively secure backroom.

It is in this sense that the Ukrainian submarines are increasingly effectively chess the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Even if they do not sink the ships one by one, they take the Russian's freedom of action, the sense of impunity and the comfort of operating in their own back. And in the war on the sea, it can be as important as the physical destruction of the target.