Russia reels from attacks behind lines

A Ukrainian strike deep into Crimea put more than half the aircraft from Russia’s Black Sea Fleet out of action, derailed operations and placed “significant” psychological strain on leaders in Moscow, western officials say.

They said that the explosions at Saki airbase on August 9, combined with the loss of the flagship Moskva and the hurried abandonment of the strategically important Snake Island, had reduced the once-proud fleet to little more than a “coastal defence flotilla”.

Early yesterday there were explosions near military bases deep in Russian-held areas of Ukraine and Russia itself. In Crimea, blasts were reported near an airbase in Belbek, on the southwest coast near Sevastopol, headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet.

In Russia two villages were evacuated after explosions at an ammunition dump in Belgorod province, near the Ukrainian border but more than 60 miles from territory controlled by Ukrainian forces.

Kyiv also announced strikes behind Russian lines in southern Kherson province, including at a bridge used by Russia to supply thousands of troops on the west bank of the Dnipro River.

Ukrainian special forces have the ability to operate deep behind Russian lines and the military, which has long-range western-supplied weapons can also carry out attacks from a distance.

The August 9 attack, which was watched by thousands of Russian holidaymakers on beaches in an area previously thought to be safe, had also sapped morale in Moscow, where the leadership was “busy seeking to allocate blame for the debacle”.

The officials doubted the ability of Russia to prepare an assault on the Ukrainian port of Odesa soon, saying that the Ukrainian attacks had “stymied” Russia’s ability.

“These instances have had a material effect on Russia’s logistics support but as importantly have had a significant psychological effect on the Russian leadership,” one official said.