Military: Russian ship Askold possibly beyond repair following Ukraine's strike
The Askold Russian cruise missile carrier has suffered significant damage following Ukraine's strike on Crimea on Nov 4., possibly rendering it beyond repair, the Ukrainian military's Office of Strategic Communications (StratCom) said on Nov. 6.
StratCom accompanied the announcement with a photo reportedly capturing extensive damage the vessel suffered in the attack.
The Askold ship can carry up to eight Kalibr missiles, which Russian forces use to attack infrastructure across Ukraine. StratCom noted that the vessel is part of Russia's Karakurt stealth technology project.
On Nov. 4, Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk announced that Ukrainian forces targeted a Russian ship carrying Kalibr missiles in a strike on Russian-occupied Crimea without specifying its name.
A day later, Ukrainian Navy Captain Andrii Ryzhenko told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's investigative program Schemes that, according to satellite imagery, Asklod had been damaged in the attack.
"You can see that it's still afloat, but the upper part of the ship is significantly damaged," Ryzhenko said.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that the Ukrainian strike damaged a ship located in a shipyard in Kerch, a city in Crimea, Russian state-controlled media reported on Nov. 4.
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