Russia keeps nine warships, including two missile carriers, on standby off Crimea coast

That’s according to Natalia Humeniuk, the spokesperson for Operational Command South, who spoke at the national telethon, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"Currently, nine warships of the entire naval grouping are spotted in the Black Sea, including two missile carriers. These are surface missile carriers that could be armed with 16 Kalibr missiles, she said.

The rest of the missile carriers were brought to their bases, including submarines, the spokesperson said.

This may indicate that the likelihood of pinpoint missile strikes remains in place.

"They continue their search for tactics that would prove effective because massive missile strikes have not been a successful practice, tactic, or something that would even inspire those units that see no success on the battlefield," she said.

According to Humeniuk, the Russians keep their naval vessels in a safe zone more than 100 nautical miles from the closest Ukrainian positions, in order not to be hit.

"They are also curtailing their search operation in the area where the air incident took place (involving the Reaper drone and Su-27 fighter jets - ed.). They’ve been searching for something there, (but - ed.) the weather and depth in the area do not contribute to continuing the effort," said the official.

Answering a question about whether the Ukrainian military sees any changes in the security situation in connection with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Crimea, she said there was no critical change in this regard.

"Everything’s within their military doctrine – that is, placing their ship group in appropriate positions as cover from the sea, as well as setting up a network of trenches which they claim are enough to ensure security," Humeniuk said.

As reported, on Saturday, Ukraine’s Navy spotted 14 enemy warships off the coast of Crimea, including four missile carriers.