MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The security of Russia’s Crimean Peninsula is reliably protected by a military force capable of completing any task, Black Sea Deputy Naval Commander Yuri Petrov told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.
“The security of Russia’s Crimea is in reliable hands, the necessary infrastructure is being created for deploying military units and basing new ships and submarines,” Petrov told Putin.
Petrov said new ships and submarines are entering into the Black Sea Fleet’s service:
“By the end of this year, two submarines will enter into the Black Sea Fleet’s forces for permanent readiness.”
The Russian Black Sea fleet, stationed in Crimea and the neighboring Krasnodar Region, is expected to undergo a large-scale modernization after Crimea rejoined Russia in 2014. In October, Russian Navy Commander Adm. Viktor Chirkov said the fleet would receive some 30 warships in the next six years.
Crimea rejoined Russia in March 2014, with 96 percent of the peninsula’s population voting in support of a reunification.
