The Russian Federation is not preparing for missile strikes from the sea on the territory of Ukraine or amphibious operations, and the withdrawal of a group of ships to the Black Sea indicates that the Russian side feels threats from the Ukrainian side and attempts to protect Novorossiysk, according to a defense intelligence report published on Twitter by the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Saturday morning.

“On 11 January 2023, a group of at least 10 vessels of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet (BSF) departed the Novorossiysk Naval Facility. Given the type and number of vessels putting to sea at the same time, the activity is likely a fleet dispersal in response to a specific threat to Novorossiysk that Russia believes it has identified,” the message reads.

“It is unlikely that the deployment signifies preparation for unusual maritime-launched cruise-missile strikes. It is highly unlikely that the fleet is preparing for amphibious assault operations,” the British Intelligence said.