The achievements of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in neutralizing russian naval assets extend far beyond public knowledge, as revealed by statistics shared by Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk during a briefing at the Media Center Ukraine.
Particularly, the total russian losses in VDK-type landing ships ("large landing ship" in Soviet classification) announced by Pletenchuk, surpass previous estimations. The official said: "There are still five large landing ships in service [of the russian Navy in the Black Sea]. Four, for example, are currently being repaired after damage."
Read more: How the Caesar Kunikov Warship Was Sunk: Video from the russian Ship and Important Details
Now let's list down the casualties so far, both damaged and destroyed, based on the open data:
- Saratov was destroyed in the port of Berdiansk on March 24, 2022
- Olenegorsky Gornyak was damaged near Novorossiysk on January 4, 2023
- Minsk was destroyed in the dry dock in Sevastopol on September 13, 2023
- Novocherkassk was destroyed in Feodosia on December 26, 2023
- Caesar Kunikov was sunk near Foros on February 14, 2024
So, out of the five landing ships attacked, four were sunk and one received less fatal damage. But, there are three other VDKs under repair. Note that all the landing ships that were damaged in Berdiansk in 2022 have been sunk by now, namely, Caesar Kunikov and Novocherkassk were also affected by that Ukrainian strike.
Archive video of the Ukrainian Tocka-U missile strike on Berdiansk port, March 24, 2022:
The russian navy currently has nine VDK ships left afloat in the Black Sea. Four belong to the Black Sea Fleet: Orsk, Nikolay Filchenkov, Yamal, and Azov. They are backed by reinforcements from other fleets: Kaliningrad and Korolyov from the Baltic Fleet; as well as Pyotr Morgunov, Georgy Pobedonosets, and the already damaged Olenegorsky Gornyak from the Northern Fleet.
As follows from the Ukrainian Navy officer's report, three more ships from this list were damaged and are now disabled until repairs.
Moreover, Pletenchuk stated that a total of 27 enemy surface combat units have been destroyed in the Black Sea, including small boats, with 14 ships belonging to combat units that pose a serious threat to Ukraine. On top of that, another 15 units sustained damage and are undergoing repairs.
These figures are also higher than the number of officially confirmed strikes on russian naval assets. For example, there was a Project 1239 Samum air cushion corvette damaged, as became known from local eyewitnesses seeing it enter Sevastopol Bay for urgent repairs after a drone hit in September 2023.
Defense Express suggests that so many ships in need of repair at the same time may indicate russians lack repair capacity, potentially leading to prolonged repair times and further weakening their naval presence in the region.
Read more: Ukraine Wants to Turn Suicide Sea Drones Into Air Defense Platforms: Which Weapons Would Fit
