The Russian Black Sea Fleet (BSF) has suffered a series of major attacks in recent weeks, culminating in strikes on its headquarters on September 20 and 22, 2023, and these attacks have been more damaging and more coordinated than thus far in the war, the British intelligence said.

"The physical damage to the BSF is almost certainly severe but localised. The fleet almost certainly remains capable of fulfilling its core wartime missions of cruise missile strikes and local security patrols," according to the report of the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland published on the X social network on Tuesday morning.

Despite this, intelligence officials believe that "degraded ability to defend its assets in port and to conduct routine maintenance," since the Ukrainian attacks have put Russia in a situation where it has to respond to the actions of Ukrainian forces. Also, experts admit, "its ability to continue wider regional security patrols and enforce its de facto blockade of Ukrainian ports will be diminished."

As noted, "a dynamic, deep strike battle is underway in the Black Sea. This is likely forcing Russia into a reactive posture whilst demonstrating that Ukraine's military can undermine the Kremlin's symbolic and strategic power projection from its warm water port in occupied Sevastopol."