The commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has stated that defenses are being beefed up in the wake of a barrage of Ukrainian drone strikes on its home base, the Crimean port of Sevastopol.

Vice Admiral Viktor Sokolov told the military publication Krasnaya Zvezda (“Red Star”) on Friday, “In response to the threat of robotic surface and underwater system attacks, we have increased the technical defenses of the fleet’s main base and ship anchorages.”

Sevastopol has repeatedly been attacked with drones since the start of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine in February 2022.

Ukraine has tended to avoid taking direct responsibility for strikes on the Crimean peninsula, which Russia unilaterally annexed after seizing it in 2014.

In the interview, Sokolov said the Black Sea Fleet, whose flagship, the cruiser Moskva, was sunk by Ukraine in April 2022, would receive four new ships in 2023.