Sevastopol Naval Base

Russian-controlled naval base in occupied Crimea

Sevastopol Naval Base

Севастопольская военно-морская база
Севастопольська військово-морська база

Sevastopol, Crimea

Map of the Sevastopol Bay

Sevastopol Naval Base

Coordinates| 44°36′28″N 33°31′48″E﻿ / ﻿44.60778°N 33.53000°E﻿ / 44.60778; 33.53000
Type| Naval base
Site information
Owner| Disputed:

* Russia (de facto)
* Ukraine (de jure)

Operator|  Black Sea Fleet
Controlled by|  Russia
Condition| Operational
Site history
Built| 1772–1783
Built by|  Russian Empire
In use| 1783–present
Garrison information
Garrison|  Black Sea Fleet
Occupants|  Russian Navy

The Sevastopol Naval Base (Russian: Севастопольская военно-морская база; Ukrainian: Севастопольська військово-морська база) is an occupied naval base located in Sevastopol, in the disputed Crimean Peninsula. The base is used by the Russian Navy, and it is the main base of the Black Sea Fleet. Internationally it's recognised as Ukrainian land under Russian occupation.

## Geography

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The Sevastopol Naval Base is almost completely located within the administrative territory of Sevastopol. It has several berths located in several bays of Sevastopol – Severnaya (Russian: Северная бухта; Ukrainian: Північна бухта), Yuzhnaya (Russian: Южная бухта; Ukrainian: Південна бухта), Karantinnaya (Russian: Карантинная бухта; Ukrainian: Карантинна бухта) and others.

## History

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### Tsarist Russia

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The port was renovated in 1772, while the Russo-Turkish War was still ongoing, and was finished in 1783, following the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Empire. On 13 May 1783, the first eleven ships of the Imperial Russian Navy reached the Sevastopol Bay.[1]

During the Crimean War (1853–1856), all large ships were scuttled in the entrance to the bay in 1854 to prevent the entry of enemy ships into the bay. The city defended itself for 349 days against the allied armies of France, United Kingdom, Ottoman Empire and Piedmont-Sardinia. Eventually, the Russians had to abandon Sevastopol on 9 September 1855.[1]

### Soviet Russia

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During World War I, the Imperial German Army occupied Sevastopol on 1 May 1918 despite the ongoing negotiations to reach the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. After further negotiations, the most important ships of the Black Sea Fleet in Tsemes Bay in front of Novorossiysk were sunk by their crews.[1]

During the Crimean campaign (1941–1942) of World War II, the Black Sea Fleet of the Soviet Navy was able to fend off the first air attack by the Nazi German Luftwaffe. However, after the city defended itself for 250 days, Sevastopol fell to the Germans on 4 July 1942.[1]

### Ukrainian control

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After the dissolution of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991, the former Soviet Navy came under jurisdiction of United Armed Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States and later regulated by the separate treaty between the Russian Federation (RF) and Ukraine.

After a failed attempt to annex Crimea in the 1990s, in 1997 the RF signed the Partition Treaty on the Status and Conditions of the Black Sea Fleet with Ukraine which allowed the Russian-allocated ships to remain on Ukrainian territory until 2017 sharing the Sevastopol Bay along with ships of Ukrainian Navy.

The lease arrangements were altered by the 2010 Kharkiv Pact, which tied a 30% reduction in the extortionate price of natural gas charged by Russia since 2009 to the continued occupation of the naval base until 2042.[2]

From then on, Russia paid an annual lease to Ukraine for the use of the base until the annexation-eviction occurred in 2014.[3][4][2]

### Russian control (2014-present)

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Since the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014, the naval base is again under Russian control.[5]

#### Post-invasion of 2022

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Main article: Crimea attacks (2022–present)

On 13 September 2023, Storm Shadow missiles were used in a strike against the port of Sevastopol,[6] seriously damaging the Kilo-class submarine Rostov na Donu and seriously damaging (according to some sources, beyond repair[7]) the Ropucha-class landing ship Minsk.[8][9][10]

On 22 September 2023, at least three Storm Shadow missiles hit Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol, reportedly killing Admiral Viktor Nikolayevich Sokolov, commander of the Black Sea Fleet. Russia later released videos purporting to show him alive,[11] while Ukraine later said it was re-evaluating his claimed death.[12][13]

On 25 September 2023, Russian authorities have announced that they would demolish the existing headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet.[14]

## Gallery

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* The first map of the Akhtiar (Sevastopol) Bay, created by navigator Ivan Baturin and his team, 1773.

* The Russian Squadron on the Sebastopol Roads (1846), by Ivan Aivazovsky.

* Map of Sevastopol, 1904.

* Color view of part of the port, 1905.

* Aerial view of the port, August 1918.

* Russian ships in Sevastopol, 2005.

* Russian ships in Sevastopol, 2008.

* Russian ships in Sevastopol, 2015.

## See also

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* Naval museum complex Balaklava, former submarine pen 10 km south of Sevastopol in Balaklava Bay
* Sevastopol Radar Station
* List of Russian military bases abroad

## References

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1. ^ a b c d "Flottenstützpunkt Sewastopol" (in German). Retrieved 26 November 2018.
2. ^ a b "Kyiv's gas strategy: closer cooperation with Gazprom or a genuine diversification". Centre for Eastern Studies. 15 July 2013. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013.
3. ^ "Ukraine stellt Hafen zur Verfügung, Moskau gibt Energierabatt" (in German). Retrieved 26 November 2018.
4. ^ "State Duma approves denunciation of Russian-Ukrainian agreements on Black Sea Fleet". TASS. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
5. ^ Deutsche Presse-Agentur (19 March 2014). "Annexion: Russland sichert sich militärische Kontrolle über die Krim" (in German). Die Zeit. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
6. ^ "British cruise missiles were used in significant Ukrainian attack on Russian submarine". Sky News. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
7. ^ Oryx. "Attack On Europe: Documenting Russian Equipment Losses During The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine". Oryx. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
8. ^ "Two Russian Navy Black sea ships hit by missiles, one destroyed VIDEO". 13 September 2023.
9. ^ "Ukraine launches missile attack on Crimea". BBC News. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
10. ^ Edwards, Tim Lister,Josh Pennington,Olga Voitovych,Christian (13 September 2023). "Ukrainian missiles strike Russian warships in Crimean naval base". CNN. Retrieved 13 September 2023.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
11. ^ Sebastian, Katharina Krebs,Anna Chernova,Clare (27 September 2023). "Russian admiral claimed to have been killed in Ukrainian attack appears in video interview". CNN. Retrieved 27 October 2023.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
12. ^ "Ukraine live briefing: Russia releases more video of Black Sea Fleet commander". Washington Post. 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
13. ^ Dooley, Matthew (23 September 2023). "Putin's top Black Sea Admiral 'killed' as Ukraine launches multi-pronged attack". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
14. ^ Giles Gear; Dominic Nicholls. "Ukraine: The Latest -Russia blows up own HQ". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 September 2023.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Soviet and Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol.

* Photos Black Fleet