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Southern Naval Base

Coordinates: 45°23′51″N 33°7′42″E / 45.39750°N 33.12833°E / 45.39750; 33.12833
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Southern Naval Base
Novoozerne, Yevpatoria, Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukraine
Map of Donuzlav Lake
Southern Naval Base is located in Crimea
Southern Naval Base
Southern Naval Base
Coordinates45°23′51″N 33°7′42″E / 45.39750°N 33.12833°E / 45.39750; 33.12833
TypeNaval base
Site information
Owner Ukraine
Controlled by Russia
Site history
In use1996-2014

Southern Naval Base (Ukrainian: Південна військово-морська база, Russian: Южная военно-морская база) was a naval base of the Armed Forces of Ukraine located in the town of Novoozerne (part of Yevpatoria city municipality) on Donuzlav Bay in the western part of Crimea.

The base was reorganized in place of the Crimean Naval Base [ru] of the Soviet Union which completely occupied the southern shores of Donuzlav Bay and included hovercraft berths, Donuzlav Air Station, and a submarine base. Most of the former base is disassembled, while the former Donuzlav Air Station is non-operational.[not verified in body]

Donuzlav Bay is separated from the Black Sea by two sandspits which serve as a small freight port of the Yevpatoriya Commercial Trade Port located in the city.[not verified in body]

History

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The naval base was established by Ukraine in 1996, having previously been a Soviet naval base from 1976 to 1991, and then a Russian base.[1] It celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2011.[2][3]

Capture by Russia

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Main article: Capture of Southern Naval Base

In connection with the events of social and political instability that led the Ukraine government to resignation on 28 January 2014,[4] Russian parliament authorized the deployment of Russian military troops on Ukrainian soil with the official mandate of protection for Russian native population living in Crimea.[5] These actions violated the treaties of 1997 and are qualified as an act of aggression according to Article 3(e) of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3314 (XXIX) on the Definition of Aggression of 1974:[6]

The use of armed forces of one State which are within the territory of another State with the agreement of the receiving State, in contravention of the conditions provided for in the agreement or any extension of their presence in such territory beyond the termination of the agreement.

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During the night between 5 and 6 March 2014 ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, led by the Slava-class cruiser Moskva sank the decommissioned Russian Kara-class cruiser Ochakov and the rescue tugboat Shakhter at the entrance to Donuzlav Bay as blockships to prevent the Ukrainian fleet stationed at the Southern Naval Base from reaching the open sea.[7][8][9] The following day the decommissioned diving support vessel BM-416 was also scuttled in the bay entrance.[10] Trapped in the bay, the Ukrainian squadron surrendered without a shot being fired. The Ochakov was refloated several months later, and returned to Inkerman to await scrapping.[11]

The surrendered Ukrainian ships included the corvette Vinnytsia, minesweepers Chernigov, Cherkasy [uk] and Genichesk [uk], medium landing ship Kirovograd, large landing ship Konstantin Olshansky, fire boat Evpatoria, transport Gorlovka, tugboats Kovel [uk] and Novoozernoe, patrol boat Feodosia, and torpedo boat Kherson.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Donuzlav Naval Base (Russian Navy)". wikimapia.org. Retrieved 2022-12-30.
  2. ^ "Південній військово-морській базі ВМС України виповнилося 15 років" [The Southern Naval Base of the Ukrainian Navy is 15 years old]. leus-inform.org.ua. Archived from the original on October 11, 2013.
  3. ^ "Members of the Southern Naval Base of Ukrainian Navy celebrated 15th anniversary of establishing of Ukrainian Navy". www.mil.gov.ua.
  4. ^ "Ukraine's PM Azarov and government resign". BBC News. 28 January 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  5. ^ "Russian parliament approves troop deployment in Ukraine". TheGuardian.com. 1 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  6. ^ "Ukraine Insta-Symposium: When does the Breach of a Status of Forces Agreement amount to an Act of Aggression? The Case of Ukraine and the Black Sea Fleet SOFA". March 6, 2014.
  7. ^ "Россияне в Крыму затопили два своих судна, — СМИ" (in Russian). 24 Kanal. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  8. ^ Sergei L. Loiko (March 5, 2014). "Russians sink a boat off Ukraine coast - their own". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 5, 2014.
  9. ^ "В Крыму затоплен российский большой противолодочный корабль "Очаков"" [Russian large anti-submarine ship Ochakov sunk in Crimea] (in Russian). timer-odessa.net. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  10. ^ "Российские военные затопили еще один корабль на озере Донузлав" [Russian military sank another ship on Lake Donuzlav] (in Russian). zn.ua. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  11. ^ Sergei Ishchenko (13 January 2015). "Средиземноморская Цусима: Кризис рвет на части кораблестроительную программу России" [Mediterranean Tsushima: The crisis is tearing apart Russia's shipbuilding program] (in Russian). Svobodnaya Pressa. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  12. ^ "К миру без принуждения: Состояние украинской армии является одним из главных аргументов против военного решения крымского конфликта" [Toward peace without coercion: The state of the Ukrainian army is one of the main arguments against a military solution to the Crimean conflict]. Vzglyad (in Russian). 11 March 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
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