abstract:The Black Sea Fleet () is a large operational-strategic sub-unit of the Russian (and formerly Soviet) Navy, operating in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea since the late 18th century. Its ships are based in various harbors of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, while its aviation and infrastructure is based in various locations in Crimea, Ukraine and Krasnodar Krai, Russia.
On Sunday,Russian nationalists Orange Revolution. in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet, threw Ukrainian history textbooks into boxes at the foot of a local monument to Russian empress Catherine the Great.
VOA: standard.2010.03.17
It has just agreed an extension of the BlackSea fleet's lease in Sebastopol, in Ukraine.
The climate and the lingering grandeur made the town a popular retirement choice for Soviet officers, especially those who had served with the BlackSeafleet.