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Home» News»Ukraine’s Attack On Sevastopol Also Targeted Important Ships Crossing Black Sea
Patria SONAC
Russian Navy Ships Crossing Black Sea, September 13 2023
Click To Enlarge. Shortly after the cruise missile attacks on Sevastopol, warships are seen escorting 2 Russian Government linked ships across the Black Sea. These ships were likely attacked by Ukrainian maritime drones (USVs) just hours earlier.

Ukraine’s Attack On Sevastopol Also Targeted Important Ships Crossing Black Sea

Two Russian ships, the tanker Yaz and the suspected arms runner Ursa Major, are headed to Istanbul where they will leave the Black Sea. Evidence suggests that, at the same time as the cruise missile attack on Sevastopol, they were targeted by Ukrainian maritime drones.

H I Sutton 14 Sep 2023

The first indications of the attack, shared with Naval News, came before 3am local time on September 13. By morning imagery of fierce fires in Sevastopol were coming in, and it soon emerged that two Russian Navy vessels were hit. The cruise missile attack on Sevastopol got world attention. A Russian Navy landing ship and a submarine were damaged, possibly destroyed.

Taking these vessels out of the fight is a significant success for Ukraine. But there is a lot which has been going less reported. Ukraine also attempted to thwart Russia’s vital weapons and military fuel supplies which flow in and out of the Black Sea.

Simultaneously with the cruise missile strike there was an attack by Ukrainian USVs (maritime drones). It is likely that the USVs (uncrewed surface vessels) were targeting key Russian ships sailing across the Black Sea.

Ukraine Gaining Greater Freedom In Black Sea

The attacks are part of a wider shift in the Black Sea. The launching of ten Storm Shadow or SCALP-EG cruise missiles can be tied back to the destruction of an S-400 system in northwest Crimea on August 24. Together with prying Russian surveillance systems off gas platforms offshore, this will have contributed to the Ukrainian jets’ ability to operate over the water. Russian air defenses remain a serious threat, but Ukraine is gaining space.

The upshot is a spectacular strike on Sevastopol, Russia’s main naval base in the region. Current information suggests that 5 Ukrainian Air Force Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer jets launched 10 missiles. Some of the missiles were shot down, but several hit the dry dock. There the Project 775 Ropucha Class landing ship Minsk was reduced to a twisted wreck. Most of the superstructure was razed, with the main mast left leaning precariously to starboard. Nearby the Project 636.3 Improved-Kilo class submarine Rostov-on-Don was hit. Again, the damage is believed to be significant.

File photo of Pr.636.3 Improved Kilo Class submarine Rostov-on-Don. Photo Yörük Işık

The Russian Ministry of Defense has said that the ships will be fully restored and “will continue to serve in combat as part of their fleets”. This appears unlikely.

The Losses

The landing ship is important as a logistic asset. These ships have moved from their traditional amphibious landing role to a mundane, yet crucial, transport one. Its sister ship, Olenegorsky Gornyak, has already been taken out of action on August 3 by a USV attack. Russia can ill afford to loose too many of these ships.

The loss of the submarine is arguably even more significant. The Improved-Kilo class boats are armed with Kalibr cruise missiles and have conducted numerous attacks against Ukraine. They also threaten merchant ships sailing to and from Odesa. There is now one less of these submarines in the Black Sea.

The dry docks are also blocked until the wrecks can be repaired, which is unlikely, or removed. This may have a major impact on the Russian Navy’s ability to maintain ships in the Black Sea.

Targeting Important Russian Ships

The Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) attack gets less attention. The Russian government claims that 3 Ukrainian USVs were destroyed by the patrol ship Vasily Bykov. According to a Russian Ministry of Defense statement, the USVs were aimed at a detachment of Black Sea Fleet ships engaged in a the “sea crossing”. The implication is that the USVs were not targeting Sevastopol itself. In other words, it wasn’t a combined missile and maritime drone attack on the port, bit different targets.

This ties with ship movements observed by analysts. Two Russian government linked ships, the tanker Yaz and the arms ship Ursa Major, were sailing south towards the Mediterranean. These ships are the sisters of the tanker Sig, which was holed by a Ukrainian USV in August, and notorious arms runner Sparta-IV. Yaz is used to supply Russian forces with fuel. Ursa Major’s previous name was Sparta-III but it was changed after the U.S. government sanctioned her. The ships were being escorted by two Russian Navy patrol ships.

Ukrainian Magura V5 uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) are armed with a warhead which is rammed into the target . Image via navylookout.com

Circumstantial evidence suggests that two escorting ships included the Vasily Bykov. This is the ship which Russia says destroyed the 3 USVs. If so, then the target for the Ukrainian drones would likely have been the merchant ships. These are legitimate targets.

Arms Running Uninterrupted

On September 14 the Russian MOD reported that at about 05.00 local time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attempted to attack the Black Sea Fleet patrol ship “Sergey Kotov” with five USVs. Once again they reported that all USVs were destroyed. Separately they reported that 3 USVs were destroyed by aircraft. It is too early to asses the reliability of these reports.

Yaz and Ursa Major are heading towards Istanbul and the Bosporus Strait, the only way to the Mediterranean. The escorting warships will have to turn around because Turkey bans warships from passing. But the merchant ships will likely be allowed to transit by Turkey. They will then return, with Ursa Major possibly carrying yet another important arms shipment to aid Russia’s war effort.

Possibly Ukraine will try to target them again. Similar attacks have been launched against Sparta-IV, but those too were repelled. Ursa Major appears far from safe.

Crimea Russian Navy Ukraine 2023-09-14
Tags Crimea Russian Navy Ukraine
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Patria SONAC

Authors

Posted by : H I Sutton
H I Sutton writes about the secretive and under-reported submarines, seeking out unusual and interesting vessels and technologies involved in fighting beneath the waves. Submarines, capabilities, naval special forces underwater vehicles and the changing world of underwater warfare and seabed warfare. To do this he combines the latest Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) with the traditional art and science of defense analysis. He occasionally writes non-fiction books on these topics and draws analysis-based illustrations to bring the subject to life. In addition, H I Sutton is a naval history buff and data geek. His personal website about these topics is Covert Shores (www.hisutton.com)

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