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Black Sea Fleet capable of ensuring southern Russia’s security, says commander

The upgrade of the Black Sea Fleet was launched in 2014 with Crimea’s and Sevastopol’s reunification with Russia

SEVASTOPOL, March 18. /TASS/. The Black Sea Fleet is capable of guaranteeing the security of Crimea and Russia’s neighboring regions, the fleet’s commander, Vice-Admiral Alexander Moiseyev, said on Monday at a ceremony timed for the fifth anniversary of Crimea’s reunification with Russia.

"Russia’s history has confirmed more than once: without a strong army there can be no strong state. The Black Sea Fleet has been and will be the safeguard of security in Crimea and the region in general. The fleet’s condition arouses no doubt over its ability to address such issues," Moiseyev said.

He pointed out that the ground troops and the naval forces served as a guarantor of security in Crimea during the peninsula’s reunification with Russia.

"All this allowed us to celebrate the anniversary today, to take pride in the achievements and to feel we are citizens of a great country - Russia," Moiseyev said.

The upgrade of the Black Sea Fleet was launched in 2014 with Crimea’s and Sevastopol’s reunification with Russia. Over the five years the fleet received considerable reinforcements. The rearmament process is continuing. The fleet is being complemented by new surface ships armed with missiles and by submarines.

Earlier, the commander of the Southern Federal District Colonel-General Alexander Dvornikov said the Black Sea Fleet would soon obtain 13 new ships, some of them armed with missiles Kalibr.

Crimean spring anniversary

Crimea and Sevastpol are holding celebrations on the occasion of reunification with Russia. The treaty on their accession to Russia was signed on March 18, 2014. The decision was made on the basis of a referendum in which 96.7% of Crimean voters and 95.5% in Sevastopol respectively came out for reunification with Russia. The turnout in both cases was above 80%.