Another Russian ship could've been damaged during March 23 strike in Crimea – Ukrainian Navy
Photo: wikipedia.org
Another Russian ship, the "Ivan Khurs," may have been damaged during the strike on occupied Crimea on March 23, according to the Ukrainian Navy.
It could become the third ship on the list after the damage to the "Yamal" and "Azov" attack vessels, Rubryka reports, citing a statement from spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk.
"This information about the damage to Russian ships requires some time to fully verify. We present it cautiously. I confirmed this morning that both ships ('Yamal' and 'Azov') were damaged. Now the question of damage to the 'Ivan Khurs' is also being verified," he said on Radio Svoboda.
According to him, the Ukrainian Navy suspects this ship also sustained damage.
"As of now, we can confirm that both landing ships were damaged; the nature of their damage is being determined, and one of them immediately went for repairs," the spokesman added.
Commenting on the importance of the hits on Russian ships, Pletenchuk said only three Russian Black Sea Fleet ships out of the 13 at the start of the full-scale invasion remained in service.
The "Ivan Khurs," project 18280 (communications ship), is a Russian medium reconnaissance ship for close, long-distance, and oceanic zones. It is the first serial and one of two ships of Project 18280. The tasks of the ship include providing communication, fleet management, and conducting radio reconnaissance and electronic warfare.
The ship is named after Vice Admiral Ivan Khurs, who was the chief of the Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the USSR Navy from 1979 to 1987.
Strikes on "Yamal" and "Azov"
On March 23, explosions rocked temporarily occupied Crimea, including the city of Sevastopol. OSINT analysts noted that a large communication node of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol may have been affected.
On March 24, information appeared on Russian Telegram channels that a "well-camouflaged command post, which housed more than two dozen officers during the strike," was hit in Sevastopol.
Later that same day, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced that the Ukrainian forces had struck targets of Russian occupiers in Sevastopol. Two Russian landing ships, "Yamal" and "Azov," as well as the communication center and several infrastructure facilities of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, were destroyed.
On March 25, the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate reported that the damage to the Russian "Yamal" ship was critical. In turn, the spokesperson for the "South" Operational Command, Natalia Humeniuk, said that Russian logistics and troop control suffered significant damage due to the strike on the "Yamal" and "Azov."
"Putin's continued illegal occupation of Ukraine is exacting a massive cost on Russia's Black Sea Fleet" – British defense minister
Ukrainian forces hit two Russian ships during attack on occupied Sevastopol
