The Russian Fleet Shows Minimal Activity in Novorossiysk

            <p>At present, the Russian naval base in Novorossiysk is experiencing a period of low activity with surface ships, as per recent observations.

The satellite images were shared by a user on X social network.

The pictures show a decreased presence of surface ships at the Novorossiysk Naval Base: one Project 775 landing ship, one Ivan Gren-class landing ship, and two Sivuch class gunboats.

To conceal from Ukrainian naval drones, small missile ships and some landing ships were relocated to the Sea of Azov.
Satellite image of the Russian Black Sea Fleet naval base in Novorossiysk. Photo credits: MT Anderson
Notably, large ships are absent at the base presently. Until recently, two Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates, three Buyan-M corvettes, and four Kilo-class submarines and Paltus-class submarines were stationed there permanently.

It is probable that these ships set out to sea to launch cruise missiles at Ukraine and hadn’t returned at the time of observation.

The Russian Black Sea Fleet currently faces heightened risk due to the increased use of surface drones by Ukraine, posing a threat to Russian ships.

Furthermore, the active deployment of naval drones by Ukraine introduces a new danger to Russian naval helicopters, primarily due to the fitting of R-73 guided missiles on these drones.
The Russian Navy base in Novorossiysk. Photo credits: Google Earth
In early June, satellite images were released showing Russian landing ships departing from the port of Novorossiysk, where they had been concealed from Ukrainian attacks in a robust formation.

Comparing recent satellite images from Airbus for June 5 with data from June 2, an analyst observed a significant number of Russian Navy ships leaving the port of Novorossiysk.

These vessels include:

• Two Project 22160 patrol ships;
• Two Buyan-class corvettes;
• Two Ropucha-class landing ships;
• One Ivan Gren-class landing ship;
• One Tapir-class landing ship;
• Two Kilo-class submarines.

Accompanying them were two Project 266M “Aquamarine-M” minesweepers and one Project 12700 “Alexandrite” minesweeper, setting off in an undisclosed direction.