According to a tweet published by the UK Ministry of Defense on September 20, 2022, the command of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has almost certainly relocated its Kilo-class submarines from their home port of Sevastopol in Crimea to Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai, southern Russia.
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Russian Improved Kilo class submarine (Project 636.3) Rostov na Donu (Picture source: Kchf)
The number of Russian submarines in the Black Sea can be estimated at four, three Improved Kilo class (636.3) submarines and one Kilo-class submarine.
636.3 "Varshavyanka" is an improved version of Project 877EKM export submarine and is intended for fighting enemy submarines and surface ships, protection of naval bases, sea coasts, and marine communications
The boat has a double hull with 6 watertight compartments. The project 636.1 boats are equipped with an up-to-date inertial navigation system with long-term uncorrected data storage providing delivery of the required information to the missile system in the underwater position. Thus the increased stealth in the process of fulfillment of combat missions is provided.
The modernized submarines of project 636.3 surpass the previous project with the power of diesel generators, speed of a full underwater passage, and range in the mode of operation of diesel engines underwater); they have a much lower level of underwater noise.
The Project 636.3 boats have an optimal combination of target detection range and acoustic stealth; they are equipped with an automated information and control system and a modern inertial navigation system, which provides the best submarine performance among similar boats
According to designers, these boats, due to their low noise level, can provide guaranteed preemptive detection and the ability to attack enemy ships from a long distance with anti-ship cruise missiles.
About the Russian Black Sea Fleet
The Black Sea Fleet is the fleet of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean Sea. The Black Sea Fleet, and other Russian ground and air forces in Crimea, are subordinate to the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces.
The Black Sea Fleet has its official primary headquarters and facilities in Sevastopol, Crimea, which was annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The remainder of the fleet's facilities are based in various locations on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, including Krasnodar Krai, Rostov Oblast and Crimea. The appointment of the current commander, Admiral Viktor Sokolov, has announced August 16, 2022.
