The Ukrainian military has confirmed a significant naval strike on the occupied Crimean peninsula, targeting Russia’s latest missile carrier ship, the Tsiklon, on the night of May 19. This successful operation against the Tsiklon, a Karakurt-class corvette, while docked in Sevastopol, signifies a critical setback to Russian naval capabilities in the Black Sea.
“According to updated information, overnight on 19 May, the Ukrainian Defense Forces hit a Russian Tsiklon missile ship of Project 22800 in Sevastopol,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported, highlighting a major tactical achievement. The Tsiklon was believed to be the last ship of its kind capable of carrying Kalibr cruise missiles in the Black Sea, now leaving Russia without any surface Kalibr missile carriers based in the annexed territory of Crimea.
Commissioned in the summer of 2023, the Tsiklon represented the newest addition to the Russian Navy’s Project 22800 Karakurt class ships. These vessels, small missile ships in Russian classification, have been in service since 2018. Notably, the fleet already suffered a previous hit when another Karakurt-class corvette, the Askold, sustained damage from a Ukrainian missile strike in November 2023.
The destruction of the Tsiklon reflects Ukraine’s strategic adaptation to counter Russian naval dominance despite its own naval limitations. Lacking a substantial navy, Ukraine has turned to the deployment of missiles and a novel assortment of maritime suicide drones to challenge Russia’s control of the Black Sea.
The Ukrainian Navy spokesman, Dmytro Pletenchuk, had previously underscored the gravity of the situation for Russian naval forces in the region. With the loss of the Tsiklon, there remains a glaring absence of surface Kalibr missile carriers in Crimea. Pletenchuk’s insights also highlighted the broader implications of this strike, as the attack aligns with Ukraine’s ongoing campaign targeting Russian Black Sea ports and warships with precision strikes, forcing a tactical withdrawal of major Russian warships to more distant and presumably secure Russian ports on the eastern coast of the Black Sea.
The initial reports of the Tsiklon’s destruction emerged from Russian sources, specifically propaganda Telegram channels which claimed the attack involved two long-range ATACMS missiles. Although the details of the strike and the exact extent of the damages incurred are still unfolding, pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian information sources, including the Telegram channel Crimean Wind, noted that a ship corresponding to the Tsiklon’s dimensions disappeared from satellite imagery at Sevastopol around the time of the alleged attack.
Russia’s response to the events has been to claim the downing of nine ATACMS missiles and one drone over Crimea, without directly addressing any damages to its naval assets. Meanwhile, open-source analyses and social media posts are increasingly suggesting that the Tsiklon, rather than the previously claimed Kovrovets minesweeper, was the actual victim of the Ukrainian strike.
Relevant articles:
– Ukrainian army likely destroys Russia’s Tsiklon ship – last carrier of cruise missiles in Black Sea, news.liga.net, 05/21/2024
– Ukraine destroys Tsyklon, Russia’s last surface Kalibr missile ship in occupied Crimea, Euromaidan Press, 05/21/2024
– Ukraine says it may have destroyed Russia’s last cruise missile carrier based out of Crimea, Business Insider, 05/21/2024
– Ukraine sinks Russian missile ship Tsiklon in occupied Crimea, Yahoo News Canada, 05/21/2024
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