| Sevastopol Naval Base | |
| Native Name: | |
| Location: | Sevastopol, Crimea |
| Pushpin Map: | Crimea |
| Type: | Naval base |
| Ownership: | Disputed: |
| Operator: | Black Sea Fleet |
| Condition: | Operational |
| Built: | 1772–1783 |
| Used: | 1783–present |
| Garrison: | Black Sea Fleet |
The Sevastopol Naval Base (Russian: Севастопольская военно-морская база; Ukrainian: Севастопольська військово-морська база) is an occupied naval base located in Sevastopol, in the disputed Crimean Peninsula. The base is used by the Russian Navy, and it is the main base of the Black Sea Fleet. Internationally it's recognised as Ukrainian land under Russian occupation.
The Sevastopol Naval Base is almost completely located within the administrative territory of Sevastopol. It has several berths located in several bays of Sevastopol – Severnaya (Russian: Северная бухта; Ukrainian: Північна бухта), Yuzhnaya (Russian: Южная бухта; Ukrainian: Південна бухта), Karantinnaya (Russian: Карантинная бухта; Ukrainian: Карантинна бухта) and others.
The port was renovated in 1772, while the Russo-Turkish War was still ongoing, and was finished in 1783, following the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Empire. On 13 May 1783, the first eleven ships of the Imperial Russian Navy reached the Sevastopol Bay.[1]
During the Crimean War (1853–1856), all large ships were scuttled in the entrance to the bay in 1854 to prevent the entry of enemy ships into the bay. The city defended itself for 349 days against the allied armies of France, United Kingdom, Ottoman Empire and Piedmont-Sardinia. Eventually, the Russians had to abandon Sevastopol on 9 September 1855.
During World War I, the Imperial German Army occupied Sevastopol on 1 May 1918 despite the ongoing negotiations to reach the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. After further negotiations, the most important ships of the Black Sea Fleet in Tsemes Bay in front of Novorossiysk were sunk by their crews.
During the Crimean campaign (1941–1942) of World War II, the Black Sea Fleet of the Soviet Navy was able to fend off the first air attack by the Nazi German Luftwaffe. However, after the city defended itself for 250 days, Sevastopol fell to the Germans on 4 July 1942.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991, the former Soviet Navy came under jurisdiction of United Armed Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States and later regulated by the separate treaty between the Russian Federation (RF) and Ukraine.
After a failed attempt to annex Crimea in the 1990s, in 1997 the RF signed the Partition Treaty on the Status and Conditions of the Black Sea Fleet with Ukraine which allowed the Russian-allocated ships to remain on Ukrainian territory until 2017 sharing the Sevastopol Bay along with ships of Ukrainian Navy.
The lease arrangements were altered by the 2010 Kharkiv Pact, which tied a 30% reduction in the extortionate price of natural gas charged by Russia since 2009 to the continued occupation of the naval base until 2042.
From then on, Russia paid an annual lease to Ukraine for the use of the base until the annexation-eviction occurred in 2014.[2] [3] [4]
Since the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014, the naval base is again under Russian control.[5]
See main article: Crimea attacks (2022–present). On 13 September 2023, Storm Shadow missiles were used in a strike against the port of Sevastopol,[6] seriously damaging the Kilo-class submarine Rostov na Donu and seriously damaging (according to some sources, beyond repair[7]) the Ropucha-class landing ship Minsk.[8] [9] [10]
On 22 September 2023, at least three Storm Shadow missiles hit Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol, reportedly killing Admiral Viktor Nikolayevich Sokolov, commander of the Black Sea Fleet. Russia later released videos purporting to show him alive,[11] while Ukraine later said it was re-evaluating his claimed death.[12] [13]
On 25 September 2023, Russian authorities have announced that they would demolish the existing headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet.[14]