After the drone attacks in the occupied Sevastopol, Russia strengthened the defense of the city and the bay, including using combat dolphins. Naval News writes about this, which specializes in naval topics.
The reinforced defense was primarily created to protect against Ukrainian maritime drones, the newspaper notes.
The material says that now the entrance to the port of Sevastopol is protected by at least six rows of physical barriers in addition to patrol boats, helicopter patrols, combat "anti-diving" dolphins and artillery systems.
Military analyst Benjamin Pitte said the new defenses are part of a broader effort to strengthen Crimea:
“Russian ships have been patrolling more often near the Kerch Strait in recent weeks. On the ground, they equip a large number of trenches around key locations. In terms of air defense, they are becoming more aggressive towards NATO reconnaissance missions.”
According to Pitte, there are now several air defense systems around Sevastopol, in the city itself, as well as around the Belbek air base, and Russian military personnel have been constantly moving them for several months.
Analysis of satellite imagery shows that pontoon barges began to be placed between April 3rd and 9th, and the number has increased since then. Now they are located on both sides of the entrance to the harbor. The text stresses that the original floating barriers at the harbor entrance served to contain oil spills and to prevent ship attacks, although such an idea might have seemed "old-fashioned and unlikely" at the start of an invasion. The pre-existing barrier was periodically closed to prevent unauthorized ships from entering.
In addition, Naval News' defenses map shows enclosures for combat dolphins, which analysts say are supposed to fight enemy combat divers.
In October 2022, Ukraine carried out a naval drone attack on Sevastopol. Several ships were hit, none seriously damaged, but this showed the ineffectiveness of the old defenses. In November, additional defenses were installed – both at the entrance to the harbor and in various places inside the port.
Sevastopol is the main naval base of the Russian fleet in Crimea. Despite efforts to relocate most of the forces and assets to other bases, the main warships remain there. Therefore, it remains a key target for Ukraine, especially in the context of the planned counteroffensive, Naval News notes.
The governor of the annexed Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhaev, stated that on the night of April 24, surface drones attacked the city. The previous large-scale attack occurred on the night of March 22, videos were published on the network in which explosions were heard in Sevastopol, and fire was also visible in the bay. In May, the Ukrainian military may launch a counter-offensive aimed at cutting off Russia's land communication with the Crimean peninsula, Bild reported , citing a senior NATO official.
