Explosions at the Saka airbase on the annexed Crimean peninsula earlier this month disabled more than half of Russia’s navy’s fighter jets in the Black Sea, a Western official said on Friday.

On August 9, several explosions occurred at the air base near Novofedorivka on the western coast of the peninsula, which Russia annexed to Ukraine in 2014.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Ukraine was now striking deep into Russia’s rear, having a significant impact on Russia’s logistical support and a “significant psychological impact on the Russian leadership.”

“Currently, we estimate that the events at the Saki airfield on August 9 disabled more than half of the combat aircraft of the Navy’s Black Sea Fleet,” the official said.

On August 12, the British Ministry of Defense said in its assessment that although part of the Russian air fleet was destroyed in the explosion, the air capabilities of the naval fleet were seriously impaired.

The war in Ukraine is dying down

The official said the Black Sea Fleet was trying to function as much more than a “coastal defense flotilla” that only launched occasional missile strikes, and that its attempt to threaten an amphibious assault on Odessa had been thwarted.

The official added that, in general, the war is in a “moment of operational quasi-stasis.”

“Neither side’s ground forces have sufficient concentrated ground combat power to mount an effective offensive that would in any way materially affect the course of the war,” the official said.

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