Once boasting scores of powerful warships and a large number of submarines, the Russian Black Sea Fleet has been severely degraded since the end of the Cold War. A substantial portion of the fleet and naval infrastructure was left in Ukraine and Georgia when the Soviet Union dissolved, and a lack of funding made it increasingly difficult to maintain and operate the remaining vessels. Only since the recent seizure of Crimea has Russia begun to build up the necessary infrastructure to support a growing fleet. Today, the vast majority of the Black Sea Fleet has been in service for more than 30 years, and a number of aging vessels will inevitably have to be decommissioned.