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Vladimir Putin has suffered the “uncomfortable loss” of his navy’s flagship and is unable to replace it in the Black Sea, British defense officials said on Thursday.
But they added that his navy was still able to strike at Ukrainian targets.
They stressed that about 20 Russian naval ships, including submarines, were stationed in the Black Sea “operational zone”.
However, they stressed that the Russian president has failed to replace the Moscow, a 510-seat cruiser, as his ships have been stopped from crossing the Bosphorus.
Ukrainian military officials say they sank the flagship with two missiles.
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There are fears that dozens of crew members have died.
Russia tried to pull the injured ship back to port, but it sank in a storm, according to reports.
In its latest intelligence briefing, the Ministry of Defense in London said: “Approximately 20 ships of the Russian Navy are currently in the Black Sea operational area, including submarines.
“The Bosphorus Strait remains closed to all non-Turkish warships, making Russia unable to replace its lost cruiser Moscow in the Black Sea.
“Despite the embarrassing losses of the landing ship Saratov and the cruiser Moscow, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet retains its ability to strike at Ukrainian and coastal targets.”
Within weeks, Britain was sending Brimstone anti-ship missiles to bolster the naval defenses of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s government.
Armed Forces Secretary James Happy told the Commons earlier this week: “Ukraine has recently requested longer-range surface-to-air missiles and the government is investigating whether Brimstone stockpiles can be released for such purposes.
“We will provide Brimstone in the next few weeks.
“This remains largely in line with our principle of developing our support for Ukraine, as the conflict develops and the requirements for their capabilities change.
The United Kingdom is expected to offer Brimstone ground systems, not those that can be launched from aircraft.
Brimstone 2 has a maximum range of 37 miles, a warhead of 6.3 kg and can be used with laser targeting or autonomous targeting.
Putin is believed to have sought to capture the historic Black Sea port city of Odessa in the early stages of his invasion, which began on February 24, but these attempts were met with strong Ukrainian resistance.
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