Novocherkassk: Ukraine’s big blow to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet

Ukraine destroyed the Russian tank landing ship Novocherkask with missiles on the peninsula of Crimeain what represents the biggest blow against the Black Sea Fleet so far this year.

The Army General Staff Ukraine reported that with the Novocherkassk There are now 24 ships that his forces have destroyed in the Black Sea since the start of the war, at the end of February 2022.

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According to Oleksy Danilov, secretary of the National Security Council of Ukraine, who spoke to “Voice of America,” Russian losses amount to 20% of its fleet.

“Congratulations to our Armed Forces for adding another ship to the Russian submarine fleet of the Black Sea. The occupants of it will not find a happy and peaceful place in Ukraine,” wrote the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyon his Telegram channel.

“A photo appeared, only a skeleton remained of this shipeverything there was burned to the ground, after that explosion it is clear that not only the ship itself was destroyed, maybe some port infrastructure, maybe some support ships that were nearby, as well as the crew of the ship that was nearby,” said the spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuri Ignat.

“Therefore, this is a very powerful event (…) we destroyed both the ship and the occupants thanks to clearly coordinated actions,” he added. Ignatwho recalled that in April 2022 Ukraine also sank Russia’s flagship, the Moscow.

Russia reacted on Tuesday and said the ship was damaged in a Ukrainian attack in Feodosiaon the annexed peninsula of Crimea. He added that cruise missiles were used in the attack.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, was informed by his Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoiguabout the “damages” suffered by the vessel. He did not give further details.

According to Sergei Aksionov, governor of the peninsula Crimeathe attack left one dead and two injured.

How was the attack?

Commander of the Air Force UkraineLieutenant General Mikola Oleschuksaid on Telegram that the action was recorded at 02:30 local time on Tuesday, when the tactical aviation “attacked the ship with cruise missiles” Novocherkassk “in the region of Feodosia”.

The spokesperson Yuri Ignat He told Radio Libertad that the “big explosion” on the ship was due to the fact that it was carrying ammunition and other military equipment, although he did not specify whether they were Iranian Shahed drones, as has been reported, the EFE agency reported.

In the videos published on Telegram You can hear a thunderous explosion and see a fire start in the port. EFE indicated that satellite images confirm that the ship was completely destroyed.

What was Novocherkassk like?

The ship Novocherkassk It measured about 112.5 meters in length and had a capacity of 3,450 tons.

It carried a crew of 87 men and had capacity for 237 soldiers, according to a report from cnn. It is not known how many people were on the ship at the time of the attack.

The ship was designed to carry out landings on beacheshad doors in the bow and stern and a capacity to house up to 25 armored personnel carriers on its deck.

He Novocherkassk It had already been hit shortly after the war began, although it was only damaged then. There were three deaths in this action.

Last September Ukraine stated that the Novocherkask’s sister ship, the Minskhad been destroyed in an attack against the naval base of Sevastopolin Crimea.

While the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense reported that, according to an analysis of intelligence sources, the Minsk had been “almost certainly functionally destroyed” and the Russian submarine Rostov-on-Don had also suffered catastrophic damage in that attack.

How can Ukraine reach Russian ships?

The actions of Ukraine against the Russian Navy they have managed to Russia cannot block its ports to prevent Kyiv that export grain.

In the attacks the Russian ships Ukraine has used surface maritime drones. According to the EFE agency, these devices became the basis of Ukrainian proactive actions in the Black Sea.

The underwater drones played a key role in countering Russian attempts to intercept Ukrainian grain ships in the southwest of the Black Seawhich is out of range of anti-ship missiles Harpoonexplained EFE.

He Mamai underwater drone, used by the Security Service Ukraineis currently the fastest vehicle in the Black Sea, capable of traveling at 110 km per hour, indicated EFE.

Another type of drones, the Be Babycarries at least 850 kilograms of explosives and has also been used in attacks against several Russian naval bases.