In a major development on the maritime front of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, a Ukrainian missile attack on March 23 may have inflicted damage on the Russian warship Ivan Khurs, adding to the blow sustained by two other Russian naval vessels.
According to spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk, the Ukrainian Navy is investigating the extent of the damage to the Ivan Khurs after the assault on Russian-occupied Crimea. The attack also targeted the landing ships Yamal and Azov, with reports indicating that the Yamal was “critically damaged.”
Pletenchuk told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, “There is a suspicion that, most likely, it (the Ivan Khurs ship) was also damaged. As soon as we collect this information from various sources, we will be able to verify it, and then we will be able to operate on it as a fact.” The Ivan Khurs, although not an active combat unit, serves a significant role supporting the Russian Black Sea Fleet with communications, fleet management, radio reconnaissance, and electronic warfare capabilities.
This latest incident follows a strategic pattern of Ukrainian attacks on Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula under Russian occupation since 2014. Ukraine has intensified its campaign against Russian military assets in the area, progressively weakening Russia’s naval power. The Ivan Khurs had previously been targeted by Ukraine with drones in May 2023, an attack repelled by the Russian Defense Ministry according to their claims.
These strikes indicate Ukraine’s relentless efforts to reclaim Crimea, which have forced Russia to redeploy its Black Sea Fleet to more secure locations, such as Novorossiysk in internationally-recognized Russian territory. The movement away from Sevastopol, the primary Black Sea Fleet facility, underscores the growing deterrence capability of Ukraine’s forces.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted that despite the unclear extent of the damage, the strikes “will likely continue to deter Russian forces from redeploying ships to Sevastopol.” Moreover, the Strategic Communications Center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (StratCom) has reported that as of early February 2024, a significant portion of Russia’s Black Sea fleet has been disabled.
Coupled with Ukraine’s success in downing over 2,000 Russian missiles since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the damage to the Ivan Khurs—if confirmed—would add to a growing list of Russian military setbacks.
Moscow has deployed more than 8,000 missiles and over 4,600 drones in its all-out war against Ukraine as of Feb. 22, according to Yurii Ihnat, former spokesperson for Ukraine’s Air Force. “That’s a result of the titanic work of Ukrainian air defenders. Thousands of lives were saved by modern air defense systems provided by our partners,” the ministry wrote on X, reporting on the destroyed targets.
Relevant articles:
– Navy: Russian warship Ivan Khurs might be damaged in Ukraine’s March 23 missile attack on Crimea
– Ukraine war latest: Russia hits Kyiv, Odesa with ballistic missiles, injuring civilians, Kyiv Independent, Mon, 25 Mar 2024 20:09:06 GMT
– Ukraine ‘Likely’ Hit Three Russian Ships in New Black Sea Fleet Assault, Newsweek, Mon, 25 Mar 2024 11:27:28 GMT
– Kyiv Claims Possible Hit on Another Russian Ship in March 23 Attack on Crimea, Kyiv Post, Mon, 25 Mar 2024 12:56:12 GMT