The overall tempo of maritime operations in the Black Sea remains low. Ukraine continues to be successful in restricting Russian maritime operations to the eastern Black Sea.

As reported by the British Ministry of Defense, the Russian Federation Navy’s perception of the threat of attack from Ukraine is evident through their frequent dispersal training and anti-Uncrewed Surface Vessel/Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle exercises in and around Novorossiysk.

Ukraine continues to undermine the credibility of the Russian Black Sea Fleet by seeking to target naval infrastructure and vessels in the Black Sea.

However, this has not nullified the danger of attacks from the Black Sea entirely. British military analysts also note that the massed missile attack on 28 November 2024 targeting critical national infrastructure in several oblasts of Ukraine included launches from Russian vessels operating in the Black Sea.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported 28 land-attack cruise missiles were fired, and that their air-defense system was able to intercept a high percentage of incoming weapons systems fired from both Russian vessels and Russian long range aviation.

Related:

• UK intel: Russia suffers unprecedented 45,680 casualties in November
• UK intel: Soviet-era stockpiles sustain Russia’s war machine despite massive losses
• UK intel: Russia’s fleet forced to change area of operation, but retains ability to support land operations
• UK intel: Russia attempts to manage defense corruption while keeping up military operations in Ukraine
• UK intel: Russian forces enter Selydove, providing additional options for advancing to Pokrovsk