Ukraine Claims Strike on Russian Patrol Ship off Sevastopol
Ukraine’s navy intelligence company and navy declare to have efficiently struck a Russian patrol ship close to the occupied port of Sevastopol. It is the most recent in a sequence of Ukrainian strikes on Russian Navy belongings close to the house port of the Black Sea Fleet, and the marketing campaign is having an impact on the power posture of the Russian navy, in accordance with Western intelligence assessments.
Last week, Ukraine’s navy safety service (SSU) claimed to have struck the Russian Navy Bykov-class patrol ship Pavel Serzhavin at a place off Sevastopol.
“The patrol ship Pavel Derzhavin was hit for the second time and left the scene of the incident. It sailed several kilometers away. We are waiting for further actions,” Capt. Dmytro Pletenchuk instructed Ukrinform.
Several photos and movies (beneath) of a smoking Bykov-class patrol ship have emerged on Twitter, however the actual trigger and extent of the harm are unknown.
***UPDATE***
???? 1/nImages of obvious engagement off Sevastopol. Project 22160 Bykov class, helicopter and quick boat seen.
May relate to unconfirmed reviews of #Russia ship Pavel Derzhavin broken a few days in the past#OSINT pic.twitter.com/38LS16lPhV
— H I Sutton (@CovertShores) October 13, 2023
The Ukrainian declare couldn’t be instantly confirmed, however Sevastopol residents instructed native information outlet Crimean Wind that they heard a blast offshore at about 1000 hours on Wednesday. The Russian navy has not commented on the incident.
Ukrainska Pravda later reported {that a} “Sea Baby” experimental uncrewed floor vessel – higher referred to as a suicide drone boat – was used within the assault.
The outlet additionally reported {that a} second assault efficiently focused a Buyan-class guided missile corvette on Oct. 13. A 3rd try was made to focus on the Russian Kilo-class submarine Alrosa, however was not profitable.
UK Defence Intelligence assesses that Ukraine has suppressed the Russian Navy’s operations within the western Black Sea, and that the Black Sea Fleet has “highly likely doubled down on its defensive and reactive posture.” Many of Russia’s “prestige assets” have been moved east to the security of the port of Novorossiysk. While the Russian Navy’s capabilities stay kind of the identical as earlier than the warfare, Ukraine’s operations have lowered the chances of Russian Navy intervention within the Western Black Sea right down to a “possibility” – a risk which might come at a excessive value for Russian forces.
