Ukraine renders five major Russian vessels inoperable, Navy says count could rise

Ukrainian forces have rendered five major landing ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet inoperable since the commencement of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Dmytro Pletenchuk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Naval Forces, conveyed during a broadcast on the Freedom television channel on Aug. 15.

He said that ahead of the conflict, Russian forces had been replenishing their Black Sea Fleet under the guise of training exercises. However, this ability has now been largely thwarted.

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“They managed to bring in six more of their large landing ships, on top of the six they already had. Yet, the outcome is known: five of them are no longer operational. This tally may further increase,” said Pletenchuk.

In March of 2022, Ukrainian forces sunk the Saratov landing vessel in the port of Berdyansk, and among the Russian large landing ships also known to have been damaged earlier were the Novocherkassk and the Caesar Kunikov.

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Then, on Aug. 4, 2023, two maritime drones launched an assault on Novorossiysk in the Krasnodar Krai of the Russian Federation. Subsequently, a video emerged depicting another heavily damaged landing ship, the Olenegorsky Gornyak. It suffered a sizable breach in its hull and is currently undergoing repairs in a floating dry dock.

Pletenchuk didn’t name the four ships known to have been damaged, or the fifth one claimed by Ukraine.

According to data from the General Staff, as of Aug. 16, Russia has lost a total of 18 ships and boats.

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