Capture of Southern Naval Base

45°20′24″N 33°00′36″E / 45.34000°N 33.01000°E / 45.34000; 33.01000

The blockade of the Ukrainian fleet in Donuzlav
Part of the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation
Location of Donuzlav Bay
Date 3 – 26 March 2014 (3 weeks and 2 days) Location Donuzlav, Crimea, Ukraine Result Russian victory
Belligerents
Russia	Ukraine
Commanders and leaders
Viktor Chirkov Aleksandr Vitko Denis Berezovsky  (defected on March 2)	Ihor Tenyukh Serhiy Hayduk Yuri Petrovych Fedash Dmytro Kovalenko
Units involved
Russian Navy Black Sea Fleet	Ukrainian Navy
Strength
1 missile cruiser 4 support ships 2 helicopters	1 corvette 3 minesweepers 2 landing ships
Casualties and losses
None	13 ships captured, some later returned

The siege of Southern Naval Base lasted from 3 March 2014 until its definitive capture on 27 March 2014. The action began with the blockade of Donuzlav bay by the Russian missile cruiser Moskva. The Russian Navy later scuttled the Russian anti-submarine ship Ochakov and several smaller vessels in the mouth of the bay to prevent Ukrainian ships from sailing to open sea and reaching the Ukrainian fleet in Odesa. As a result, 13 Ukrainian ships were bottled up and eventually captured in Donuzlav bay. The blockade ended when the Russian Navy seized the last ship under the Ukrainian flag in Crimea, the minesweeper Cherkasy.