Russian military ships anywhere in the world are legitimate targets says Ukrainian Naval Commander

"For us, any ship that bears the St. Andrew's flag of the Russian Navy is a legitimate target,” Neizhpapa said, responding to questions about whether the new Russian base in Abkhazia could be attacked.

“It does not matter where it is. Anywhere in the world's oceans."

Neizhpapa noted that Russia’s decision to establish a new base in the temporarily occupied Georgian region of Abkhazia was related to need to keep its fleet dispersed.

"You cannot concentrate the entire fleet in one base,” he said.

“Furthermore, Novorossiysk is not a great port for basing, especially in winter, due to harsh weather conditions. Sevastopol, on the other hand, is a secluded bay, very geographically convenient for anchoring ships. It is shielded from all winds except the western one. That’s quite symbolic, by the way."

Recently, Russia has been transferring the Black Sea Fleet to Novorossiysk for several months, the Ukrainian HUR military intelligence service said in October.

The Russian Navy has been making little use of Sevastopol ever since successful Ukrainian strikes on ships anchored there, according to Ukraine’s Operational Command South said the same month.