Black Sea Fleet loses one-third of ships since onset of full-scale war — Navy spokesman

Dmytro Pletenchuk, spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy, said this on the air of the United News telethon.

"In terms of numbers, we can estimate approximately a third. However, the qualitative aspect is equally significant, so there is a lot to work on. A primary focus lies on cruise missile carriers, of which Russia has a dozen in the Black Sea," he said.

The Navy spokesman emphasized against underestimating Russia, cautioning against the assumption that the Russians "will sit idly by until the end of the conflict, twiddling their thumbs."

"They are constantly present in the Black Sea, specifically in the airspace. Both fighter and reconnaissance aircraft are constantly operating there, and this is a real problem for Ukraine," Pletenchuk said.

• On April 10, the Navy spokesman said that the Russian Black Sea Fleet had concentrated all its serious combat assets in Novorossiysk. Instead, they deployed in Crimea those ships that are undergoing repairs or did not have enough space in Novorossiysk.