Ukrainian Air Force hits Russian ship and submarine in Sevastopol harbor
Last night, the Ukrainian Air Force struck the Ordzhonikidze shipyard in Sevastopol. During the attack, which most likely involved SCALP-EG / Storm Shadow missiles, two Russian warships undergoing repairs were damaged.
The attack was reported on the official Telegram channel of Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and later confirmed by Russian public and official channels.
“While the occupiers are still recovering from the nightly cotton in Sevastopol, I would like to thank the pilots of the Air Force of Ukraine for their excellent combat work! To be continued…” the commander wrote, hinting at the use of Storm Shadow missiles.
According to OSINT analysts and satellite imagery, a large amphibious assault ship of Project 775 and a submarine of Project 877/636 were in the dry dock of the shipyard at the time of the strike. According to some reports, these are the Minsk and Rostov-on-Don submarines that were damaged. In addition, 2 dead and 26 injured employees of the enterprise are reported.
According to the analysis of Military, the Minsk was severely damaged by a hit to the engine room area and a large-scale fire. Project 775 ships were built in Poland during the Warsaw Pact, so it is likely that the Minsk is beyond repair.
The Minsk is a ship of the same type as the Olenegorsk Gornyak, which was hit by Ukrainian naval strike UAVs in the Novorossiysk Bay in early August 2023.
As for the possible damage to the “Varshavianka” project 877/636 submarine, there is no exact information about the consequences yet. This boat is a carrier of Kalibr cruise missiles, so even a minor damage to the ship is good. But we hope for the best.
If the damage to “Rostov-on-Don” is confirmed, it seems that this will be the first combat destruction of a submarine since World War II.
The B-237 “Rostov-on-Don” diesel-electric submarine is one of the newest submarines in the Russian Federation, having been launched only in 2014. The boat is worth more than $300 million and can use Kalibr cruise missiles from part of the 533-mm bow torpedo tubes.
It is not known for certain what the occupiers’ air defense was doing during the attack on Sevastopol.