Russia deploys new Karakurt-class cruise missile carrier to Black Sea to replace destroyed Askold — Defense Express

The New Voice of Ukraine
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Launching of the Tucha missile corvette, July 23
Launching of the Tucha missile corvette, July 23

Russia has deployed a new Karakurt-class corvette, a Kalibr cruise missile carrier, from Tatarstan to the Black Sea, Defense Express reported Dec. 9, citing an infographic based on satellite imagery by OSINT analyst MT_Anderson, showing the current status of all four 22800 Karakurt-class missile corvettes.

As of Dec. 3, the Askold corvette, which was seriously damaged in a Nov. 4 missile attack, was undergoing repairs at the Zatoka shipyard in the temporarily occupied Crimean city of Kerch. The areas of the ship's hull that suffered the most damage have been concealed by the Russians during the repair process.

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MT_Anderson/X

The latest image from Novorossiysk shows two Karakurts, including the newly completed and tested Amur and, possibly, the corvette Tucha, which, unlike the previous three Karakurts, was built on the banks of the Volga River in Zelenodolsk, in the Russian Republic of Tatarstan. Defense Express believes that Russia likely transported this Kalibr missile carrier to Novorossiysk via the Volga-Don Canal.

The Tucha, launched in July 2023, has similar characteristics to previous ships of its type:

  • Full displacement - 870 tons

  • Hull length and width - 67 meters and 11 meters, respectively

  • Autonomy of navigation - up to 15 days, crew - 39 people

  • Armament - 76-mm gun, up to eight Kalibr or Onyx missile launchers, naval version of Pantsyr air defense system, and an Orlan-10 drone.

Read also: Ukraine makes history by destroying enemy missile ship before commissioning

Hit by a Ukrainian strike in November, Russian missile carrier Askold is being prepared for restoration in theoccupied Crimea, Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk said on Dec. 8.

Explosions were reported during an air raidalarm in Sevastopol on Nov. 4.  Later locals reported that a shipbuilding plant in Kerch had been attacked by a drone.

Ukrainian defenders successfully hit the maritime and port infrastructure of the Zatoka shipbuilding plant in temporarily occupied Kerch, Ukrainian StratCom reported.

Visual confirmation of the damage to theAskold missile ship followed. The neutralization of such a vessel is crucial for Ukraine's security, military experts said.

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NV

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