The Ukrainian military warns of a possible escalation in missile attacks, as Russia increases its presence in the Black Sea by deploying multiple missile-carrying ships.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces announced on 8 October that Russian naval presence has increased significantly in the Black Sea.
According to the Ukrainian military, as of 6 AM on October 8, Russia had deployed 16 ships to the Black Sea. These included seven carriers of Kalibr Cruise Missiles with a salvo capability of up to 48 missiles.
This is a significant increase from the previous day, when only four Russian ships were present in the area. This increased naval presence increases the risk of large-scale, sudden missile attacks against Ukraine. It could cause significant damage to critical infrastructure and key strategic locations.
Ukraine’s military posted on Facebook that the Russian Federation is continuing to violate the 1974 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea by turning off automatic ID systems.
The report also notes that there are no Russian ships in the Sea of Azov. Two vessels from the Bosphorus Strait, traveling through the Kerch Strait, have entered the Sea of Azov in the last 24 hours. This is reportedly to Russia’s benefit.
This naval buildup is part of a pattern that has seen increased Russian military activity throughout the region. On 7 October, Russian occupying forces in the Black Sea deployed four Kalibr cruise-missile carriers, each capable of launching 24 missiles.
Anatoliy Khrapchynskyi is an aviation expert who told RBC-Ukraine that Russia could use Kalibr missiles against Ukraine more often than Kh-101 missiles.
Dmytro Plenchuk, a Ukrainian Navy representative, revealed in July the Russian army was building unified launch systems both for Kalibr missiles and Oniks. This development is said to be in response to Ukraine’s success rate in intercepting missiles from the enemy.
Kalibr and Kh-101 are both long-range cruise weapons used by Russian forces. However, they differ in their launch platforms as well as the typical payloads. Kalibr missiles can be launched from submarines and naval vessels, while Kh-101s are launched from strategic bombers. Kalibrs have a shorter range and are smaller than Kh-101s, but can be launched in greater numbers from naval platforms. This could overwhelm air defenses.
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