Kremlin needs air support to protect Russian warships - UK

The Naval Aviation wing of Russia's Black Sea Fleet has taken on a vital role in the Fleet's operations in recent weeks, according to a Monday intelligence update from the British Defense Ministry.

Russia's Naval Aviation has been particularly diligent in its maritime air patrol operations recently. The British Defense Ministry posited that their priority is the early identification of crewless surface vessels. 

One of the key assets available to Russia is the Beriev Be-12 amphibious aircraft. The Soviet-era reconnaissance craft could take off from either land or water and was made to do short-range maritime patrols. They can be armed with a variety of missiles, rockets, torpedoes, mines, and bombs.  

Specifically, Russia has been dispatching the Be-12s from bases in occupied Crimea.

The British Defense Ministry also stated that Russia has been using Su-24 Fencer and Flanker combat jets to conduct maritime strikes. This includes at least one recent air strike on the coveted Snake Island. The ministry further posited that Russia is attempting to use naval aviation power to take control of the north-western Black Sea. 

Has the Black Sea Fleet withdrawn from Crimea?

The Kremlin on Thursday said questions about Russian naval operations should be directed to the defense ministry after the Wall Street Journal reported that Russia had withdrawn the bulk of its Black Sea Fleet from its main base in annexed Crimea.

The WSJ said the move had been a response to Ukrainian attacks. Russia seized and unilaterally annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Kyiv has vowed to restore its control over the peninsula and the other territories that Russia has captured.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the story, or on reports that Russia had signed a deal for a permanent naval base on the Black Sea coast of the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia.

Reuters contributed to this report.