'Panicked' Russia Pulls Warships From Crimea: Report

Ukrainian guerrilla fighters recently reported that a significant number of Russian naval vessels from the Black Sea Fleet have vacated their base in Crimea, suggesting a state of alarm within the Russian navy. This information was shared by Atesh, a group comprising Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars, on Telegram, where they described the situation as a "real panic" among the fleet under Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Kyiv Post, discussing these developments, labeled the departure of the vessels as a "systematic exodus" from the fleet's main base at Sevastopol. However, Newsweek noted that it couldn't independently confirm the movements of these Russian ships, and attempts were made to reach the Russian Ministry of Defense for comments.

This report from Atesh follows a series of intensified attacks by Ukrainian forces on Russian targets in Crimea, which has been a key operational hub for Moscow since the onset of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Among these attacks was a recent assault on a new small warship, the Askold, docked in Kerch, Crimea, and a cruise missile strike in September that destroyed a building of the Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol.

Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Naval Forces, reported on Ukrainian television that a relocation of Russian ships from the Black Sea to the Azov Sea had been observed. Additionally, satellite images captured by open-source naval observers in October showed Russian warships moving out of Sevastopol.

Representatives of Atesh speaking to the Kyiv Post mentioned that the relocation of Black Sea Fleet warships had continued to the extent that most might now be gone, with many believed to be relocated to a port in Novorossiysk, a city in Russia's Kuban region.

In their Telegram message, the Atesh movement stated that their agents had successfully documented the transfer of enemy ships from Crimea to Novorossiysk, attributing this movement to effective missile attacks by Ukrainian forces on the Russian fleet. They added that the Russian military is aware of potential new attacks and is attempting to protect their fleet, although Atesh expressed skepticism about their success in these efforts.