Ukrainian port is key to Russia’s naval power

When Russia said on Thursday that it was redeploying jet fighters in its western military district – the one bordering Ukraine – to emergency airfields, the announcement made many in Europe anxious that Moscow would add fuel to the flames of the growing tension in its neighbouring country.

But Moscow’s concern over “losing” Ukraine to a new government in Kiev which could be inclined to turn its back on Russia is by no means an irrational obsession.

The Crimean port of Sevastopol, home of the Black Sea fleet, is vital to Russia’s naval power in the Mediterranean and beyond. As such the base is of critical importance as Russia seeks to regain some of the global clout that has been dwindling since the disintegration of the Soviet empire.

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