Russia’s Black Sea fleet has suffered severe setbacks as Ukrainian forces continue to cripple a major piece of Moscow’s war effort. 

Last week, Ukrainian media touted a major victory over the Russian fleet with the publication of a video that allegedly showed the destruction of a nearly $70 million missile ship, the Ivanovets. Multiple drones hit the vessel and sank it, with the crew’s fate unknown. 

“As a result of a number of direct hits to the hull, the Russian ship received damage that was incompatible with further movement – the Ivanovets tilted to the stern and sank,” said the Military Informant Telegram channel.

Ukraine has also whittled down the force with the destruction of a Russian submarine and a number of landing ships, such as the Minsk, the Saratov and the Olenegorsky Gornyak, according to Newsweek. 

Russia reportedly plans to build a base in Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia under Russian control, which would allow it to move its forces even farther from Ukraine’s reach. 

“We have signed an agreement, and in the near future there will be a permanent base of the Russian Navy in the Ochamchira district,” Abkhazia’s President Aslan Bzhania, told Russian paper Izvestiya. 

Reuters contributed to this report.  

Peter Aitken is a Fox News Digital reporter with a focus on national and global news.