Russia has transferred at least ten landing craft and missile boats out of the Caspian Sea into the Black Sea, according to the press service of the Southern Military District.
“As part of the control check during the winter training period, more than 10 landing craft and missile boats of Caspian Flotilla of the Southern Military District are making an inter-fleet transition from the Caspian to the Black Sea. Before leaving the base in Makhachkala, the crews of the boats completed a full cycle of basic training and completed course tasks at sea,” the statement said.
The Caspian is a closed sea, but a series of canals and the Volga and Don rivers connect it to the Sea of Azov, allowing Russia to move ships in and out.
It’s also important to note that the Russian Navy deploys its additional warships to the Black Sea amid escalation in Russia’s campaign of aggression against Ukraine.
According to BBC, unverified videos on social media in recent days purports to show Russian tanks, artillery and armoured vehicles heading to the Ukrainian border.
Ukraine’s army commander Gen Ruslan Khomchak also says Russia has deployed 28 battalion tactical groups near Ukraine’s eastern border and in Crimea, which would amount to 20,000-25,000 troops.