The spokesman of the Naval Forces of Ukraine Dmytro Pletenchuk announced on “Facebook” that the last patrol ship of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation has left the Crimean Peninsula, Reuters reported.
„Most likely, this is a transition between the bases,”, Pletenchuk told the agency. He added that Moscow usually does not send ships into the open sea without reason.
The ship's designation is Project 1135. In the past, Russian authorities have not responded to Reuters requests for comment on Ukrainian claims of progress in the Black Sea, Pletenchuk said.
Ukraine Navy Commander Vice Admiral Oleksiy Neizpapa said Ukraine destroyed or damaged 27 Russian warships. In May, Ukrainian authorities said they had destroyed the last Russian warship armed with cruise missiles that was stationed on the peninsula.
Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin told naval chiefs that the country's navy had been replenished in recent years and that a major modernization was underway, including steps to “increase the fleet's combat stability” and its strengthening.