That is according to a latest the U.K. Defense Ministry’s Defense Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine.
In the update, the U.K. Defense Intelligence said the ship “almost certainly suffered serious damage” during the attack and “represents the largest russian naval vessel seriously damaged or destroyed since the sinking of the cruiser Moskva on 13 April 2022”.
Read more: russia Can Secretly Mine the Black Sea Using Submarines: How it Works, Whether it is Possible to Prevent It
As the update states, during the night of 3-4 August 2023, the russian Navy landing ship Olenegorsky Gornyak almost certainly suffered serious damage after being struck while near the Black Sea Fleet’s (BSF) Novorossiysk base.
According to the U.K. Defense Intelligence, images of the vessel listing at 30-40 degrees suggest that several watertight compartments were breached, or that the crew’s damage control efforts were ineffectual.
The U.K. Defense Intelligence reminds, that "routinely assigned to russia’s Northern Fleet, the vessel has augmented the BSF since russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has often ferried military and civilian traffic between russia and occupied Crimea when the Kerch Bridge has been disrupted due to attacks."
According to a the U.K. Defense Ministry’s Defense Intelligence update, the 3600 tonne, 113 metre long Olenegorsky Gornyak represents the largest russian naval vessel that was seriously damaged or destroyed since the sinking of the cruiser Moskva on 13 April 2022.
"This is a significant blow to the BSF, which previously relocated most of its units to Novorossiysk due to the high threat to Sevastopol ," the U.K. Defense Intelligence concludes.
Why the Attack on Novorossiysk Naval Base is Important fo Ukraine's Counteroffensive
As Defense Express reported, that on the night of Saturday, August 5, the russian SIG tanker, which was in the territorial waters of Ukraine south of the Kerch Strait, was effectively hit. We also wrote, that In Addition to Large Landing Ship Near Novorossiysk, Ukrainians Also Hit a russian Facility in Feodosia in Crimea.
Read more: Why the Attack on Novorossiysk Naval Base is Important fo Ukraine's Counteroffensive
