A Russian navy submarine is seen in the Bay of Sevastopol | Viktor Drachev/AFP
Politico: Russia removes submarines from Crimea to avoid Ukraine’s firepower, UK says
British intelligence says relocation is highly likely due to ‘a change in local security threat.’ Russia has “almost certainly” removed its submarines from Crimea, British intelligence said Tuesday.
The Kremlin’s move comes as a reaction to Ukraine’s new “long-strike range capability” and repeated attacks on the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula, from where the Russian Black Sea fleet has now “almost certainly relocated its KILO-class submarines” to Novorossiysk in southern Russia, the U.K. said.
In a statement, the British defense ministry said that the submarine relocation is “highly likely” due to the “change in local security threat level,” after the fleet headquarters and main naval aviation field were attacked in recent months.
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WNU Editor: This UK report makes sense. The expectation in Moscow is that NATO will soon be transporting even longer range weapon missile and drone systems to Ukraine. It is why anti-air platforms are being installed around Moscow, and why assets like Russia's strategic bomber fleet are being moved farther away from Ukraine. I guess submarines are now being included on the list.