In this livestream, former Navy SEAL Squadron Leader Chuck Pfarrer and Jason Jay Smart analyze how Ukraine broke Russia’s control of the Black Sea without a traditional fleet. Sea drones and coastal missiles sank the Moskva, drove warships away from Crimea, and eliminated the threat of an amphibious landing at Odesa. Forcing surviving ships farther east gives Ukraine extra warning time against incoming naval cruise missiles.
Pfarrer and Smart also detail the internal corruption that weakened the fleet from within. On the Moskva, fire extinguishers were reportedly kept locked to stop sailors from stealing them. While Moscow can eventually replace lost ships, rebuilding competent crews and officers capable of making independent battlefield decisions takes decades.
Russia has now concentrated its remaining warships alongside critical oil export infrastructure at Novorossiysk. This forces Moscow to burn limited air defenses protecting ships, energy terminals, and export revenue in a single target zone. Ukraine has shifted from fighting for Black Sea access to forcing Russia to defend its ability to operate there at all.
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