Under pressure from Ukrainian attacks, ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet continue to depart from the temporarily occupied Sevastopol, where they are within the range of Ukrainian cruise missiles, aerial and naval drones. The Krymsky Veter Telegram channel says its sources witnesses the relocation of two Tarantul-III-class missile corvettes.

The Soviet-designed Project 12411 corvettes also referred to as Project 1241 Molniya-1, according to a broader classification. The ships of this class, known in NATO as Tarantul-III, are 56 meters long and equipped with anti-ship missiles.

On 1 February 2024, soldiers from Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence’s Group 13 special unit destroyed the Ivanivets missile corvette of this class. Following this, only two boats of this project remain in the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the R-60 and the R-239 Naberezhnye Chelny.

“Our ‘eyes’ see everything: the Russian Black Sea Fleet continues to leave Sevastopol. Two Project 1241 Molniya-1 missile boats followed an eastward course along the southern coast of Crimea, escorted by a convoy of two speedboats,” Krymskyi Veter reported, sharing photos of the vessels in the sea.

On 19 May, Ukraine’s military confirmed the destruction of the Tsiklon, the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s last surface carrier of Kalibr cruise missiles in occupied Crimea, correcting earlier reports that mistakenly identified the target as a minesweeper.

To avoid Ukrainian sea-borne attack, Russia largely moved its Black Sea Fleet from Sevastopol to Russia’s Novorossiysk, where it is improving infrastructure to support long-term basing, according to UK intelligence. The destination of the two Tarantul-III-class corvettes is still unclear, as they may be heading to a port in southern Crimea or also to Novorossiysk.

Read also:

• UK intel: Successful Ukrainian strike removes Russian Kalibr missile threat in Black Sea
• Ukraine destroys Tsyklon, Russia’s last surface Kalibr missile ship in occupied Crimea
• UK intel: Russian Navy’s ships remain vulnerable in Black Sea, but can still conduct their major tasks
• UK intel: Russia improved naval infrastructure in Novorossiysk, where it relocated its ships from Sevastopol away from Ukraine’s strikes
• Intel chief: Ukraine used six Magura V5 surface drones to sink Russia’s Ivanovets missile corvette