Ukraine has inflicted functional defeat on Russian Black Sea Fleet - British MoD

Junior British Defence Secretary James Heappey said this in a speech at the Warsaw Security Forum, according to European Truth.

During his speech, Heappey called for a high assessment of Ukraine's military achievements.

"Yes, Ukraine's progress is slow, but no one can say that it is absent. You can point to the Kharkiv breakthrough as a model of success. But look at what Ukraine has done now in the Black Sea! Ukraine has achieved a functional defeat of the Russian Black Sea Fleet," he said.

Commenting on Ukraine's ground counteroffensive, Heappey said that "every inch matters."

The day before, British intelligence reported that after the successful destruction of the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in the temporarily occupied Sevastopol, most of the Russian Black Sea Fleet would be relocated from Sevastopol to Novorossiysk.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces' strikes on the Russian Black Sea Fleet: what is known

In September, attempts to destroy the Russian Black Sea Fleet gained momentum. On September 3, the Ukrainian military eliminated the Russian invaders' boat Tuna in the Black Sea during an attempt to land an enemy landing party, killing six Russian occupiers. 

Another successful hunt by Ukrainian soldiers for Russians at sea was a strike on the Sevastopol shipyard in the temporarily occupied Crimea on September 13. Satellite imagery showed that cruise missiles, presumably Storm Shadow, hit the large landing ship Minsk and, more importantly, hit the Varshavianka project diesel submarine Rostov-on-Don. It should be noted that an air attack on an enemy submarine is a rare operation in the history of warfare. The SBU Special Forces shared the details of the operation and the destruction of two Russian vessels. 

On September 14, in Yevpatoria, the SBU, together with the Navy, conducted a special operation and attacked the Russian air defense system Triumph. 

On September 20, the Armed Forces of Ukraine successfully attacked the command post of the Russian Black Sea Fleet near the temporarily occupied Sevastopol.

On Friday, September 22, powerful explosions were heard in the temporarily occupied Crimea: the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed the defeat of the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol.

Subsequently, it was reported that 34 officers, including Fleet Commander Viktor Sokolov, were killed after the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol was hit. However, the Russian Defense Ministry later released a video of the meeting, which Sokolov allegedly attended. The Special Forces announced that they were clarifying the information about the death of the fleet commander.

According to the ATESH movement, the pseudo-administration of Sevastopol is trying to influence public opinion by spreading rumors about the betrayal of Black Sea Fleet Commander Viktor Sokolov.