   the black sea fleet (, chernomorsky flot) is a large operational-strategic command 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 and krasnodar krai. it is considered to have been founded by prince potemkin on may 13, 1783, together with its principal base, the city of sevastopol. russia struggled for a long time against its main rival in the region, the ottoman empire, with the ottoman navy being its main opponent in the black sea. the black sea fleet defeated the turks in 1790, and fought the ottomans during world war i, the romanians during world war ii, and georgia during the 2008 south ossetia war. the division of the fleet in 1997 became the basis of the [[uk
1780s_establishments_in_Russia Black_Sea Military_history_of_the_Black_Sea Military_units_and_formations_established_in_1783 Naval_units_and_formations_of_the_Soviet_Union Russian_Navy Russian_fleets RussiaaUkraine_relations