A Russian Navy landing ship was probably destroyed after an explosion and fire on boardThe Russian-occupied port of Berdyanskin the Sea of Azov, south-east of Ukraine. The ship in question was theProject 1171Alligatorclass landing craftOrskwhile two othersProject 775
Sapo-IIclass DropShips,Czar KunikowmiNowotscherkassk, were seen leaving port, at least one of them also burning.There were allegations that the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched an attack on theOrsk, possibly with one of yoursTochka(SS-21 Scarab) short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs), but so far there is no evidence of what exactly sent the ship to hell.
The incident appears to have started around 7:45 a.m. local time, when a significant explosion, later identified as the , was detected on board one of the ships in BerdyanskOrsk🇧🇷 Shortly thereafter, the other two landing ships left the port. Various reports indicate that one or two of these ships were also ablaze, although those flames were also reportedly quickly extinguished.
Ironically, the arrival of the DropShips in Berdyansk earlier this week was heralded by Russia as a major breakthrough in its invasion of Ukraine, and the event was widely covered by Russian state media. At that time, a video appeared that showed itBTR-82A infantry fighting vehiclein the download processOrsk.
However, it is unclear what was on board those ships and to what extent they were unloaded at the time of today's incident. EITHERAlligatorThe class can transport up to 425 soldiers and 20 tanks or 40 armored vehicles or other cargo.
The size of the explosion and the intensity of the fire on board theOrskIt so happened that there were some claims that it was loaded with ammunition at the time. While there is no confirmation of this, Dramatic Hell does show some evidence of what appeared to be "cooked" ammunition: unfired gun ammunition detonating prematurely due to intense heat.
Unconfirmed reports also suggest eight sailors may have been killed on the shipCzar Kunikowand three dead and three woundedNowotscherkask.
Shortly after news of the incident broke, claims of a successful Tochka attack on Berdyansk began to surface, although the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has apparently not come forward with this narrative, noting that "the large DropShipOrskof the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian occupying forces was temporarily destroyed in the Russian-occupied port of Berdyansk.
Meanwhile, Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Hanna Malyartold Ukrainian televisionthat the forces accomplished a "huge objective capable of transporting 20 tanks, 45 armored vehicles and 400 soldiers" but did not disclose how they did so.
If reports of an SRBM attack are true, it would be a major blow to Ukrainian forces, who are severely limited in their ability to engage Russian ships when at sea, with little to no operational anti-ship defenses. Missiles Against this background, a cluster of high-quality DropShips in the port would certainly be a very tempting target for the Ukrainians. The only other confirmed successful Ukrainian attack on a Russian ship is an incident that emerged earlier this week in which a Russian naval officerProject 03160YoungThe class patrol boat was damaged by anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) while sailing near Mariupol. There remains the possibility that an ATGM team will advance close enough to the port to fire on the warships there.
On the other hand, it's debatable whether a Tochka SRBM would have the accuracy to hit a specific ship unless the attack was simply a lucky hit and the missile was aimed at the general port area. The latest Tochka-U version of the missile isclassifiedhow to have oneprobable error circular(CEP) of about 100 yards, although the use of an optional submunition warhead meant that even a hit in close proximity to the ship could result in its destruction.
Evidence of a successful SRBM attack includes video earlier this month showing the remains of a Tochka-U missile said to be lying in Berdyansk port. At the time, Russian media reported that this particular missile was shot down by their air defenses.
There are also unconfirmed reports citing only anonymous "Odean sources" that a UkrainianDrone Bayraktar TB2It was also used in the alleged harbor attack, either as a means of attack or, more likely, to provide targeting coordinates.
It is also conceivable that another type of Ukrainian action led to the incident, perhaps through some kind of sabotage operation like the ATGM equipment mentioned above.
On the other hand, it is very likely that the explosion observed in port was not the result of enemy activity, but rather the ammunition or other volatile cargo on board the ship.Orsk"cook" after a fire has been kindled in some other way, perhaps accidentally. Whatto the war zone
discussed in the past, Warships may be more vulnerable in port. The unloading process of arms shipments, for example, would only make the situation more dangerous.
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The meaning of losingOrskIn addition, after Turkey blocked entry through the Dardanelles, as is its right, Russia can no longer bring any more warships into the Black Sea and the adjacent Sea of Azovby the Montreux Convention🇧🇷 This prohibits warships of all navies from entering these waters unless they return to their home ports on the Black Sea. As such, the incident significantly affects Russia's amphibious capabilities in the region.
In addition, Russia is generally struggling with thelogistics freighthis multi-pronged attack on Ukraine and the loss of another means of supply to support his troops is a severe blow.
Images of the Orsk unloaded in Berdyansk earlier this week:
If this was in fact a planned Ukrainian attack and not some accident, it could also threaten to derail Russian plans to use Berdyansk and thereby perhaps other captured Ukrainian ports. It is unclear where the two areSapo-IIThe class DropShips are now departing, but their departure could signal a retreat to Sevastopol, the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in occupied Crimea. Overall, the inability to secure port facilities in Ukraine will only pose a challengeexercise a professionEven harder.
Even if it was an accident, the condition of the port facilities remains to be seen, but this too could affect the extent to which Russia can use the port in the short term.
While the exact long-term outcome of everything that happened in Berdyansk today remains uncertain, there are obviously many details of the incident that have yet to be revealed. Meanwhile, Russia has almost certainly lost a key asset in its ongoing campaign that is simply impossible to replace.
Contact the author: thomas@thedrive.com
FAQs
What kind of ship was destroyed by Ukraine? ›
Moskva — On 13 April 2022, two Ukrainian officials said that the Slava-class cruiser had been hit by Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles and was on fire in heavy seas. The Russian Ministry of Defense said the ship was seriously damaged after a fire caused a munitions explosion.
Did Russia sink a cargo ship? ›The MV Helt sank on Thursday following an explosion. The Ukrainian Navy said that the Russians had threatened to fire on the MV Helt if it did not enter the war zone and compared the Russian's actions to "21st-century piracy," The Times and The Jerusalem Post reported.
How many fighter jets has Russia lost Ukraine? ›Independent analysts have confirmed, through photo and video evidence, the destruction of 184 Russian aircraft.
How did Ukraine destroy a Russian warship? ›Ukraine Destroyed Russian Vessel in Black Sea with Harpoon Missiles, U.K. Confirms. The strike represents the first successful use of the Western-supplied anti-ship weapons, considered a game-changer as Ukraine remains outgunned and outmanned by Russia. June 21, 2022, at 12:18 p.m.
How did Ukraine sink a ship? ›Ukrainian officials said that their forces damaged the ship with two R-360 Neptune anti-ship missiles, while Russia said she sank in stormy seas after a fire caused munitions to explode.
How many Russian ships did Ukraine sink? ›KHARKIV, Ukraine—Ukraine on Monday said it sank two Russian naval vessels in the Black Sea and a Russian missile attack killed civilians in Odessa, while the European Union was set to propose a ban on Russian oil over Moscow's invasion.
How many tanks had Russia lost in Ukraine? ›And it's a staggering figure as well. According to the Dutch warfare research group Oryx, Russia has lost 1,450 tanks since the war began, nearly 900 of which have been damaged or destroyed. The rest were abandoned by the Russians, and many of those ultimately have since been captured by the Ukrainians.
How many tanks has Ukraine lost in the war? ›19 the Ukrainian army had lost just 320 tanks: 176 of them destroyed.
How many tanks has Russia lost in the battle of Ukraine? ›The estimated total Russian loss of 1,300 machines in Ukraine roughly corresponds to 14 full-fledged armored brigades or 42 battalion tactical groups (BTGs). This amounts to more tank fleets than the U.K., France, Germany, and Italy combined.
Did Ukraine destroy a second Russian ship? ›The Ukrainian port city of Odesa was hit by renewed Russian missile strikes on Saturday, as military authorities in Kyiv claimed one of their drones had sunk a second Russian ship in the Black Sea.
Can Ukraine sink Russian ships in Black Sea? ›
Between the ballistic and anti-ship missiles and airborne and seaborne drones, the Ukrainian armed forces have plenty of ways of sinking Russian ships. The Black Sea Fleet isn't safe in the western Black Sea.
Has Ukraine sunk any ships? ›Danish land-based Harpoon launcher in 2002. Ukrainian forces used a Harpoon missile to sink a Russian resupply ship headed to Snake Island, a senior defense official told reporters Friday afternoon.
What ships did Russia lose in Ukraine? ›The Russians have lost at least five Raptor-class patrol boats, one Tapir-class landing ship, one Serna-class landing craft, and most notably the Moskva, a Slava-class guided-missile cruiser that was also the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet.
What Russian ship was sunk by Ukraine? ›A Ukraine-based publication and two defense analysts wrote in the aftermath that Moskva had the capability to carry nuclear warheads and that she may have been carrying two nuclear warheads at the time of her sinking.
Did Ukraine sink a Russian tugboat? ›The Ukrainian navy struck a Russian tugboat in the Black Sea with a Harpoon antiship missile system provided by the West, as Russian invasion forces intensified airstrikes and shelling in the eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk, Ukrainian officials said.
How many Russian tanks has Ukraine destroyed? ›And it's a staggering figure as well. According to the Dutch warfare research group Oryx, Russia has lost 1,450 tanks since the war began, nearly 900 of which have been damaged or destroyed. The rest were abandoned by the Russians, and many of those ultimately have since been captured by the Ukrainians.
How many tanks has Russia lost so far? ›Kahl did not specify exactly how many tanks the Pentagon estimates Russia has lost, but according to open-source intelligence analysis by Oryx, at least 1,450 Russian tanks have been destroyed, captured, abandoned, or damaged over the course of the war, which would be roughly half the pre-invasion tank force.
What caused the Russian ship to sink? ›A guided missile cruiser carrying a crew of 510, the Moskva was the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet. It sank on April 14 after being struck by two Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles, U.S. officials said.
How many ships stuck Ukraine? ›Source: REUTERS / Alamy Stock Photo The port of Mariupol in Ukraine saw heavy fighting in April 2022. ABOUT 80 vessels remain effectively trapped in Ukraine despite local and international efforts to free up port access following Russia's incursion into the country, according to the local Lloyd's agent.
Does Ukraine have weapons to sink Russian ships? ›Ukraine's domestically developed Neptune anti-ship missile, which sank the Moskva, and Harpoon missiles donated by Denmark that sank a Russian resupply ship this spring, have forced the fleet to stay well offshore, and out of the fight, for months.
Is the Ukrainian Navy still standing? ›
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Ukrainian Navy.
| Ukrainian Naval Forces | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1917–1921 1992–present |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Type | Navy |
| Role | Naval warfare |
A Telegram post by a Russian-appointed official in southern Ukraine, Vladimir Rogov, says Tochka-U ballistic missiles had targeted the Russian-held port. The crew sank the ship "to prevent detonation of the on-board munitions by the fire that had started", he said. At the time Ukraine said it had hit the ship.
How many tanks was destroyed by Ukraine? ›19 the Ukrainian army had lost just 320 tanks: 176 of them destroyed.
How much does a Harpoon missile cost? ›| Harpoon | |
|---|---|
| Unit cost | US$1,406,812 for Harpoon Block II (2020) |
| No. built | 7,500 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1,523 lb (691 kg) including booster |
Ukrainian forces sink their own anti-submarine corvette Vinnytsia.