Dismissal of Russia's navy chief will not stop destruction of Russian warships by Ukraine - expert 

Valerii Riabykh, Development Director of the media and consulting company Defense Express, explained that the only way for Russia to save the Black Sea Fleet is to evacuate all ships from the occupied Crimea

He expressed this opinion on the Espreso TV channel.

"The rotation in the command of the Russian Black Sea Fleet is a reflection of the processes taking place in Russia. In particular, how to get out of the stalemate on the use of the fleet in the Black Sea. They have very few alternative solutions. Russia can only evacuate the existing vessels of the Black Sea Fleet deep into the territory of the Russian Federation," explained Ryabykh.

The expert stressed that by changing the Black Sea Fleet command, Russia will not be able to change the situation in the Black Sea.

"The Russian forces can still evacuate some vessels of the Russian Black Sea Fleet through inland waters. The rest of the fleet will be gradually and completely destroyed. And this does not depend on the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. No matter who they appoint, their fleet in the Black Sea, the trend of destroying their ships will not change. Ukraine will continue to target the potential of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Therefore, we should expect the dismissal of the newly appointed commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet," he added.

• On the night of March 5, the Ukrainian military used marine drones to destroy the Russian Navy patrol ship Sergei Kotov in the temporarily occupied Crimea. There are dead and wounded among the crew.
• On March 11, the head of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, said that missions of combat units in the Black Sea indicate that a serious operation is being prepared in the temporarily occupied Crimea.