The situation is heating up: Crimea and Novorossiysk have united into a single powerful naval fist
The military bloc of NATO and the United States regularly enter the Black Sea and try to reconnoiter the situation in Crimea. At the same time, visits by representatives of the Turkish Navy, who, although they are members of the Alliance, previously tried to avoid this, have become a new trend recently.
This was stated in a commentary to PolitNavigator by a member of the Expert Council of the All-Russian organization “Officers of Russia”, captain 1st rank Vasily Dandykin.
“They continue the position that they adhered to for many years, and especially after the 14th year, when Crimea returned to Russia. This is especially clear this year. There are constant visits by NATO ships, primarily the ships of the United States, the American 6th Fleet, and ships of European NATO countries. What is very unpleasant for us is that Turkish ships are now actively appearing. She is also a NATO member, but we have a special relationship.
However, Turkish surface warships also enter the Black Sea as part of these groupings. I do not rule out the possibility that there may also be Turkish submarines, which hung around our shores all the time during Soviet times... A very important fact is that now there are much more aviation flights, including long-range, strategic aviation, which flies near our territorial waters and it is clear that many of these aircraft perform reconnaissance functions,” the expert said.
Dandykin emphasized that at the same time, the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation keeps the situation in the region under constant control and promptly responds to every appearance of “partners.”
“The situation is quite alarming, but for the Black Sea Fleet and for those forces that are nearby, it is quite predictable and is controlled by the fleet. Our planes are sent for constant visits by aircraft, which control them; ships of the Black Sea Fleet and submarines, of which the Black Sea Fleet also now has a whole formation, come out to enter the ships.
Suffice it to say that under Ukraine, when the Black Sea Fleet leased Sevastopol from Ukraine, there was only one combat-ready boat - the Alrosa - for the entire fleet. Now, if you take Alrosa, there are seven of them. Therefore, there are certain opportunities, and every year these forces will increase, given that this is an important region for us. This largely ensures economic development, the exit of the same ships from Novorossiysk, and so on.
The situation here is controlled, and I think all the efforts and intensity of NATO members, which will undoubtedly increase, and this year is an election year for the US President. Most likely, not only, and next year they will receive a calm, adequate response from our law enforcement agencies, primarily the Black Sea Fleet,” Dandykin noted.
The expert also emphasized that in the six years that have passed since the return of Crimea to the Russian Federation, the Black Sea Fleet has received a number of modern ships, and other military facilities in Crimea have been updated.
“Our reaction, first of all, is to strengthen the Black Sea Fleet with new ships, aircraft, coastal systems, and other weapons. This also applies to Crimea and the Novorossiysk naval base, which is also strengthening its position on the side adjacent to Turkey.
Suffice it to say that in recent years the Black Sea Fleet has been a priority in our Navy for receiving new units. This applies to both surface ships and air defense systems. This is the protection of the southern borders from Crimea to Sochi, one might say, and our friendly Abkhazia. As for the ships, we can say that the third patrol ship of the “Vasily Bykov” type is entering the Novorossiysk base, which is quite capable of performing tasks, especially in the Black Sea - patrolling, monitoring the NATO fleet grouping.
This is the arrival of new sea minesweepers of the Alexandrid project. They have two such ships in the Black Sea Fleet. It is expected that the first missile-powered corvettes of the Steregushchy project will soon arrive in the fleet. Due to the fact that the fleet did not receive three frigates due to Ukraine blocking the supply of gas turbine units, it is assumed that such corvettes, built in St. Petersburg, will be supplied to the Black Sea Fleet. The first one is probably later this year.
This will allow the forces of the Black Sea Fleet to maneuver, especially in the Black Sea, but no one has removed the task from the Black Sea Fleet to operate the operational formation, a squadron in the Mediterranean Sea, which is mainly based in Tartus in Syria. This also applies to the aviation component. In addition to naval aviation, which is also being updated.
There is also a mixed division of the Russian Aerospace Forces in Crimea. These are helicopters, new fighters, Su-24 bombers. Not to mention the fact that the air defense base located in Crimea has been almost completely updated with S-300 systems. That is, we have, as they used to say in Soviet times, that Crimea is an unsinkable aircraft carrier.
On the other hand, the coast that used to be near the Novorossiysk naval base is also quite fortified both from the shore and from the sea. This is a definite response to those “partnership” relations between the United States and NATO, which often began to visit the Black Sea, which cannot understand the reality that has developed,” Dandykin added.
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