Novorossiysk lacks capacity needed for Russia's Black Sea Fleet, Ukraine's intel says

Russia is moving some of its Black Sea Fleet from occupied Crimea to other bases like Novorossiysk, but this port lacks sufficient capacity and infrastructure for the Navy's needs, the representative of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Andriy Yusov said on national television.

"The ideal wintering option for the Russian Black Sea Fleet is the model of the Moskva cruiser. This is actually the best prospect for them. [...] Indeed, for several months they [the occupiers] have been taking measures to transfer ships, submarines, part of the headquarters infrastructure – withdrawal from Crimea and settlement, in particular, in Novorossiysk," he explained.

However, the port in Novorossiysk remains insufficiently prepared and large in size, so the Russian military is considering other sites in the occupied territories of other states, Yusov noted.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that given the current long-range capabilities of the Defense Forces, Ukraine does not yet have 100% fire control over the occupied Crimea, but work in this direction continues.

On October 5, the so-called "leader" of Abkhazia stated that Russia intends to create a Black Sea Fleet base in Abkhazia, on the territory of Georgia temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation.

On August 4, the Security Service of Ukraine conducted a special operation in Novorossiysk Bay, as a result of which the large landing ship of the Russian Federation "Olenegorsky Gornyak" was damaged, LIGA.net's sources in the agency said.