Russian amphibious warfare ships gather in the Black Sea

Six Russian amphibious landing ships filled with tanks and troops have assembled in the Black Sea after sailing from the Mediterranean as part of a build-up of naval forces to the south of Ukraine. With the arrival of the ships, each capable of putting at least 10 tanks and around 340 troops ashore, the Russian Black Sea Fleet now has up to 11 amphibious landing ships in the region. The six from the Mediterranean where they had been taking part in an extensive naval exercise, were also accompanied by a Kilo-class diesel-electric attack submarine. Although Moscow is still insisting there are no invasion plans, the armada of amphibious vessels and other warships in the area suggests that if President Putin were to give the go ahead, an attempt could be made to seize Odessa, Ukraine’s biggest port on the Black Sea. In anticipation of Russia’s expanding naval presence in the Black Sea, Nato has had three carrier strike groups operating in the Mediterranean, based around the American USS Harry S Truman, the Italian ITS Cavour and the French FS Charles de Gaulle. A US destroyer is also operating in the North Aegean Sea, monitoring the large Russian task force. En route to the Black Sea, Russia’s six amphibious landing ships had called in at Tartus, the port in Syria leased by the Russian navy. The defence ministry in Moscow has said the naval deployments are just part of global military drills which involve more than 140 warships and support vessels, about 60 aircraft and more than 10,000 troops. The six landing ships now in the Black Sea are the 4,080-ton Ropucha-class Korolev, Minsk, Georgiy Pobedonosets, Kaliningrad and Olenegorsky Gornyak, and the larger 6,600-ton Ivan Gren-class Pyotr Murgunov which can carry 13 tanks , 300 troops and two attack helicopters. In the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine it is anticipated that the Black Sea Fleet could play a significant role. In a report in December, the Royal United Services Institute in London said the Black Sea Fleet had enjoyed “something of a renaissance” with an increased number of smaller vessels equipped with long-range strike capabilities. “The decision to arm even relatively small vessels with potent strike capabilities means that the fleet can contribute to both regional sea denial and long-range precision strikes,” RUSI said. The Black Sea Fleet was engaged in Russia’s annexing of Crimea in 2014, preventing Ukrainian ships from returning to their ports.