... capabilities (i.e. Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey), but would not be restricted to them, with prospects to join already offered to Ukraine and Georgia, while some Western navies would be contributing as well (in particular the US, Italian and German).[1] Taking ... ... offset Russia’s military footprint in the Black Sea region, which has dramatically increased following the annexation of Crimea and the ongoing fortification of the peninsula[2]. The Russian Black Sea Fleet has been slated for modernization since late 2000s, with the induction of new surface and submarine platforms,...
... headquarter of the Black Sea Fleet) on the other hand. Novorossiysk being an exception, none of Black Sea Russian ports can host several vessels of high tonnage: from the 26 ports and naval bases the USSR had in the Black Sea in 1991, 19 were left in Ukraine, 4 remained in Russia whereas 3 fell under Georgian jurisdiction[7]. The loss of Crimea, where most of the Black Sea Fleet’s assets were located, appeared as a major challenge for Moscow which had to reconsider its position in the Black Sea[8]. Ukraine’s independence unlocked the Sea of Azov which was a Russian domestic sea since the 1783 annexation ...
... and terms of deployment of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Ukraine (May 28, 1997), the treaty on mutual settlements related with division and stay of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Ukraine (May 28, 1997) and the Kharkov agreement on stay of the Russian Black Sea Fleet on the territory of Ukraine signed on April 21, 2010 have been unilaterally cancelled by the Russian side[4]. As a result, the annexation of Crimea has widened Russia’s possibilities to enhance the Black Sea Fleet and to increase its military and strategic footprint in the region.
After March 18: the Modernization of the Black Sea Fleet ‘2.0’
Russia is likely to reconsider ...
