Ukraine Has Just Damaged or Sunk 4 Russian Black Sea Ships In the Last 3 Days

As of last week, Ukraine had eliminated over one third of Russia's Black Sea Fleet ships. 

Since Saturday, Ukraine has sunk or damaged another four Russian ships. JL 

Ellie Cook and Brendan Cole report in Newsweek:

Ukraine's navy "successfully destroyed" the Konstantin Olshansky, and the three other vessels it targeted since Saturday. Ukraine has taken out the Olshansky, another one of Russia's Black Sea Fleet landing ships, after Ukrainian forces destroyed two large landing ships and a key Russian reconnaissance vessel. The Ivan Khurs reconnaissance ship was one of two of this type of vessel at Russia's disposal. The attack on the Olshansky took place on Saturday, the same day as the strikes on the Yamal and Azov. Ukraine used Storm Shadow and SCALP cruise missiles to strike Sevastopol.

Ukraine has taken out another one of Russia's Black Sea Fleet landing ships, according to Kyiv, after Ukrainian forces destroyed two large landing ships and a key Russian reconnaissance vessel.

The Konstantin Olshansky landing ship "is not combat-capable" following the strike, Ukrainian navy spokesperson Captain Dmytro Pletenchuk told Ukrainian media.

 

Ukraine's navy said in a statement published on Tuesday that Kyiv had "successfully destroyed" the Konstantin Olshansky, and the three other vessels it targeted since Saturday

 

Kyiv's military said Sunday it attacked two of Russia's large landing ships, the Yamal and the Azov, in strikes on the Crimean port city of Sevastopol. Ukraine also said it had targeted a Russian communications hub and other, unspecified infrastructure facilities.

 

In a later statement, Pletenchuk said the Ivan Khurs reconnaissance ship may have sustained damage. It was one of two of this type of reconnaissance vessel at Russia's disposal, Marina Miron, a post-doctoral researcher with the War Studies Department at King's College London told Newsweek earlier this week.

Ukraine's navy is small, but Kyiv has been inventive in its use of missiles and naval drones against Moscow's Black Sea Fleet, partially based in Crimea. Russia's military has been ill-equipped to fend off Ukraine's frequent attacks, sustaining heavy losses in sharp contrast to the grinding success Moscow has had in gaining territory in eastern Ukraine.

 

Ukraine used a home-grown Neptune anti-ship missile to strike the Konstantin Olshansky, which was being "prepared for use against Ukraine," Pletenchuk said. Russia's military took the ship from Ukraine's forces in 2014 when the Kremlin annexed the Crimean peninsula.

 

Ukraine's Neptune anti-ship missiles were credited with sinking Russia's Black Sea Fleet flagship, the Moskva, in April 2022.

Pletenchuk said the attack on the Konstantin Olshansky landing ship had taken place on Saturday, the same day as the strikes on the Yamal and Azov, according to Ukrainian media.

Open-source intelligence accounts and Russian military bloggers reported that Ukraine had used Western-supplied air-launched Storm Shadow and SCALP cruise missiles to strike the Crimean port on Saturday. A total of 18 missiles rained down on Sevastopol, and Russian air defenses intercepted 11 of the missiles, according to the independent Russian outlet Astra.

Kyiv's military intelligence agency said on Monday that the Yamal was in a "critical"condition.

 

The Yamal and the Azov were Ropucha-class vessels, playing an "important role" in Russian logistics, said Sidharth Kaushal, research fellow in sea power at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank in London.

The loss of several Ropucha-class vessels will hinder Russian logistics, Kaushal told Newsweek. "They are the key logistical contribution the Black Sea Fleet makes to the wider war effort, linking Crimea to the mainland."

Ukraine's successful targeting of the ships will likely force Moscow to transport its supplies by land, increasing Russia's reliance on key routes like the Crimea Bridge that links the Russian Krasnodar region with Crimea, he said.

Ukraine has jeopardized Russia's operations in the northwestern Black Sea and has forced Moscow to relocate some of its Black Sea assets further away from Ukraine's reach

 

Reports have also suggested the Kremlin is planning a new military base at the port of Ochamchire in Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia. This would put Russian Black Sea assets even further from Ukraine's coastline.

The British Defense Ministry evaluated last week that Russia had likely restricted most of its operations to the eastern Black Sea.

Russia has employed decoys to confuse Kyiv's operators, British intelligence assessed last week. Moscow has announced it will beef up the protection around its fleet with large-caliber machine guns to shoot down incoming naval drones before they strike Russian vessels.

AUkrainian intelligence chief has suggested that Kyiv is planning another wave of attacks against Russia's Black Sea Fleet which will occur without warning.

Russia's prestigious fleet has been hit hard by drone strikes over the course of the war started by Vladimir Putin, which have increased in frequency in recent months.

 

Despite having a limited navy itself, Ukraine's strikes have forced Russia to move the fleet away from Sevastopol in Crimea, where it is partially based.

Kyiv has vowed to recapture the Crimea Peninsula which has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has used missiles and naval drones to cripple Russia's Black Sea Fleet, with many vessels moved towards Novorossiysk, a Black Sea port city in Russian territory, which has hurt Moscow's ability to operate in the western part of the sea.