Newsweek: Black Sea Fleet Can Not Hide From Retaliation

The Russians' cunning plan will not work.

After the appearance of the F-16 in the armament of the AFU Air Force, the Russian fleet will not be able to hide from retaliation even in the eastern part of the Black Sea. This opinion was expressed by Frederick Mertens, an analyst at The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, in a commentary for newsweek.

It is noted that due to constant attacks by Ukrainian missiles and sea drones on military facilities in Crimea, the Russians were forced to relocate most of the fleet to Novorossiysk. But the Russians have also announced plans to set up a naval base even further away from Ukraine - in the city of Ochamchira, which is part of the occupied Georgian region of Abkhazia.

Mertens noted that Ochamchire is "as far away from Ukraine within the Black Sea as possible."

"The fact that this strategic retreat has become inevitable for the Russian Black Sea Fleet is both a testament to current Ukrainian operations and a clear indication of the danger posed by the arrival of the F-16 fighter jets," he said.

Mertens emphasises that the F-16s pose a much greater threat to the Russians than anything the Ukrainian Armed Forces have now. In particular, these aircraft can fully exploit the potential of Harpoon anti-ship missiles.