The AFU StratСom reported that on the night of March 24, 2024, the Defense Forces of Ukraine launched a missile strike against russian occupiers in Crimea. As a result russian Azov and Yamal of Ropucha class large landing ships of the Black Sea Fleet, communications center as well as other objects in temporarily occupied Sevastopol were destroyed.
So far, only some videos of eyewitnesses of the night strike are publicly available, showing several powerful explosions after the missiles` hits. When satellite images are made publicly available, it will be possible to more accurately assess the scale of losses and destruction suffered by russian occupiers.
Read more: The UK Defense Intelligence: Ukraine Disrupts 10% of russia’s Oil Refining Capacity
As a result of the missile strike on the night of March 24, only seven russian landing ships remained in the Black Sea, including those that were transferred from the Baltic and Northern Fleets before the invasion on Ukraine`s territory in February 2022:
-1 Ivan Gren-class landing ship: Pyotr Morgunov ship (Northern Fleet)
-2 Tapir-class landing ships: Nikolay Filchenkov and Orsk ships (Black Sea Fleet)
-4 Ropucha-class landing ship: Korolev and Kaliningrad ships (Baltic Fleet) as well as Georgiy Pobedonosets and Olenegorsky Gornyak (Northern Fleet).
According to the situation, only two landing ships which belong to the Tapyr class of project 1171 remain in service in russian Black Sea Fleet. They are the oldest in the Black Sea Fleet.
Satellite images will be able to show what other Black Sea Fleet facilities in the temporarily occupied Sevastopol were hit. However, social media reported that after the drone strike, fuel tanks were burning near the settlement of Hvardiiske.
It is also known that the Black Sea Fleet communications center was destroyed. It was the main communications center of the Black Sea Fleet. As OSIN-Technical researcher noted that at least three missiles hit the facility.
It is worth noting that the failure of the main communication hub could cause, at least temporarily, significant problems with the management of the entire Black Sea Fleet as a strategic-level unit.
Currently, it can be assumed that as a result of the change in the chain of command, the Black Sea Fleet is no longer subordinates to the headquarters of the Southern Military District of russian Armed Forces in Rostov, but to Moscow mediated by the Commander-in-Chief of the Black Sea Fleet, i.e. directly by the Kremlin.
Earlier Defense Express reported that it had taken 4.5 years for russia to repair AS-31 Losharik nuclear-powered sabotage submarine.
Read more: The UK Defense Intelligence Analyses russian Deceptive Efforts, Failing to Mask Losses
