On March 24, 2024, Ukraine’s military reported successful attacks on two of Russia’s large landing ships, the Yamal and the Azov, along with a communications hub in Sevastopol, as well as other infrastructure facilities. According to various open-source intelligence (OSINT) accounts on social media, three Storm Shadow missiles provided by Britain were allegedly used in these strikes.
The Russian Pr.775 ROPUCHA Class landing ships, Yamal and Azov, were said to have damage in the attack. However, satellite imagery analysts have not yet reached a consensus on the extent of the damage. Russia has not issued an official statement regarding the incident.
While there were claims that the intelligence ship Ivan Khurs was also damaged, satellite images have not provided evidence of this. Two days later, on March 26, 2024, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence confirmed this information adding that the “Kostyantyn Olshansky” landing ship was also damaged during the attack.
“The Ukrainian defense forces successfully struck the reconnaissance ship “Ivan Khurs” and the large landing ship “Kostyantyn Olshansky” – the updated information about the attack on March 24 by the Ukrainian Navy. As we reported before, during the attack, the large landing ships “Yamal” and “Azov” were also damaged.”
Ukrainian Ministry of Defence on X
It’s worth noting that Ukrainian forces previously used long-range air-launched Storm Shadow missiles, supplied by Western sources, to target a Russian warship and the Rostov-on-Don submarine, berthed in Sevastopol, in September 2023.
In December 2023, the Ukrainian Air Force struck the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s Project 775 Ropucha-class amphibious vessel with cruise missiles in Feodosiya port in Crimea.
Author’s comment
The Russian Black Sea Fleet is now known for losing all its amphibious ships without ever conducting an amphibious operation. While the full extent of damage to the two Ropucha class LSTs hit in the recent attack remains uncertain, the issue of load and balance is crucial, especially for landing ships. Repairing these ships might not guarantee their long-term serviceability due to the sensitivity of this matter.
A chart prepared by OSINT researcher Frederik Van Lokeren illustrates the location and timing of Russia’s naval losses in the war. According to this data, seven LSTs belonging to Russia were lost within two years. Among them, four Ropucha class and one Tapir class landing ship were part of the Black Sea Fleet, while others were support ships that arrived in the region just before the war. If the two Ropucha class ships damaged in the recent attack are rendered inoperative, Russia would lack operational large landing craft in the Black Sea. The two Tapir class landing ships are relatively old and mainly used for logistic purposes.
Russia heavily relies on landing ships for military logistics transportation, so these losses will negatively impact its sea logistics capabilities. Although most of the Russian-Ukrainian war occurred on land, the sea losses contributed to moral superiority and understanding the effectiveness of Russian air defence systems against advanced cruise missiles like Storm Shadow.
