Angle down icon An icon in the shape of an angle pointing down. Russia’s Navy Day celebration in Sevastopol in Crimea saw Russian Navy frigates firing missiles. STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images Over the span of less than two years, Ukrainian forces have severely damaged Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, resulting in the destruction of about 80 vessels. According to a Ukrainian navy spokesperson, at least 25 Russian warships have been destroyed, and 15 others are currently undergoing repairs. In the absence of warships, Ukraine has turned to unmanned drones and anti-ship missiles to counter Russia’s navy. Ukraine has significantly impacted the Russian Black Sea Fleet, taking out nearly a third of Russia’s vessels in less than two years. With their arsenal lacking warships, Ukrainian forces have relied on unmanned maritime drones and long-range anti-ship missiles to target Russia’s fleet. Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stated in a public announcement that the Russian Navy initially possessed approximately 80 warships, encompassing large warships, landing ships, submarines, patrol boats, and minesweepers. As of the latest report, 25 vessels have been destroyed, and 15 are under repair, he added. “I can say that the Black Sea Fleet operations have been greatly complicated, if not paralyzed,” Pletenchuk remarked. These attacks have enabled Ukraine to resume grain shipments through the Black Sea, a vital aspect of its economy, and have forced the Black Sea Fleet to relocate warships away from Crimea, its prized naval homeport. Several Russian ships allegedly destroyed by Ukraine have yet to be identified, but reportedly among them are Raptor-class patrol boats, a BK-16 high-speed assault boat, a Serna-class landing craft, and a Stenka-class patrol vessel. Below are the warships that Russia is confirmed to have lost over the last two years. March 24, 2022: The Saratov The Saratov, a military ship from the Russian Navy heading to the Black Sea from the Sea of Marmara near Istanbul, Turkey. Onur Coban/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Commissioned in 1968, the Saratov is a sizable Alligator-class amphibious landing warship in the Black Sea Fleet. It was reactivated to transport supplies and support Russian military operations in Syria. The ship could carry about 400 troops, as well as 20 main battle tanks or 45 armored vehicles. While the ship was docked in occupied Berdiansk in Zaporizhzhia Oblast on March 24, 2022, Ukrainian forces reportedly sank it with a Soviet Tochka-U short-range ballistic missile. Video footage of the incident seems to show fire erupting above the wreck of the ship near the port as other Russian warships sail to escape the flames. April 14, 2022: The Moskva The Moskva, a guided missile cruiser, takes part in a Russian military Navy Day parade near the Ukrainian town of Sevastopol. VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP via Getty Images In a significant blow, the Black Sea Fleet lost its flagship, the Moskva, a guided missile cruiser, after it sank on April 14, 2022. It marked the first time a Russian flagship was sunk since the Russo-Japanese War from 1904 to 1905. At the onset of the invasion, the Moskva provided air cover for other warships and aided in capturing Snake Island in late February 2022. Ukraine claimed to have struck the cruiser with long-range Neptune missiles launched from the shore. June 17, 2022: The Vasily Bekh The rescuer tugboat Spasatel Vasily Bekh of the Black Sea Fleet. Andrey Brichevsky/KCHF.RU The Vasily Bekh, a Russian rescue tugboat, joined the Black Sea Fleet in 2017, with the intention of providing emergency rescue and towing of ships, evacuating maritime crews, and conducting diving operations and survey work. The Russian tugboat was also used to transport ammunition, weapons, and personnel to Snake Island. However, the rescue tug’s time in the fleet was cut short on June 17, 2022, after Ukrainian forces claimed they struck and “successfully demilitarized” the Vasily Bekh with two Harpoon missiles. This attack marked the first time Ukraine hit a Russian vessel with Western-supplied anti-ship rockets. August 4, 2023: The Olenegorskiy Gornyak The Russian Navy’s large landing ship Olenegorsky Gornyak sets sail in the Bosphorus, on its way to the Black Sea, in Istanbul, Turkey. Murad Sezer/Reuters The Olenegorskiy Gornyak is a Ropucha-class tank landing ship designed to quickly unload cargo and transport amphibious forces to land. At 360 feet long, Ropucha-class warships can land up to 10 battle tanks and carry up to 350 troops. On August 4, 2023, the Russian warship was left severely damaged after it was struck by a Ukrainian sea drone armed with explosives — the first of many ships to fall victim to attack drones that could reach warships out of missile range. Russia acknowledged the attack but claimed that the Olenegorskiy Gornyak was left unharmed, but video footage of the attack suggested otherwise. In the video, the sea drone can be seen zooming toward the landing ship and slamming into the side of it before the feed cuts off after detonating. Media not supported by AMP.
Tap for full mobile experience. September 13, 2023: The Minsk Russian Navy’s large landing ship Minsk is seen in the Neva River in St. Petersburg. Anton Vaganov/Reuters A little over a month later, another Ropucha-class landing vessel was struck on September 13, 2023, while in dry-dock undergoing maintenance at the Sevmorzadov shipyard in Russian-occupied Crimea. Open-source imagery of the aftermath showed that the Minsk has “almost certainly been functionally destroyed,” the UK Ministry of Defense said. A month later, satellite imagery reportedly showed the Minsk had been dismantled. “The Minsk may be disassembled for spare parts, if there are any left there at all,” Ukrainian Navy spokesman Pletenchuk said. September 13, 2023: The Rostov-on-Don Russia’s Navy officers, officials, and workers attend a ceremony launching the Rostov-on-Don, a Russian diesel-electric torpedo submarine, at the Admiralteyskiye Verfi shipyard in St. Petersburg. OLGA MALTSEVA/AFP via Getty Images Alongside the Minsk, the Kilo 636.3 class submarine Rostov-on-Don also “suffered catastrophic damage,” the UK Defense Ministry said in an intelligence report. The submarine was also undergoing repairs at the Sevmorzadov shipyard. “Any effort to return the submarine to service is likely to take many years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars,” the ministry continued. November 4, 2023: The Askold Missile ships Tsyklon and Askold are seen at the Zaliv shipyard in Kerch, Crimea. Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo via AP The Russian Navy also lost one of its brand-new warships before it had the chance to join the Black Sea Fleet. Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk, commander of Ukraine’s Air Force, said Ukrainian forces targeted the Zaliv shipyard in Russian-occupied Crimea, causing significant damage to the Project 22800 Karakurt-class corvette, the Askold. Less than a week later, two more Russian vessels were hit by Ukrainian sea drones, though it was not immediately clear which ships were targeted. December 26, 2023: The Novocherkassk The Russian Navy’s large landing ship Novocherkassk sets sail in the Bosphorus, on its way to the Mediterranean Sea, in Istanbul, Turkey. Yoruk Isik/Reuters To cap off a devastating year for the Russian Navy, Ukrainian forces launched guided missiles at the Ropucha-class landing ship, the Novocherkassk, at the town of Feodosiya in Russian-occupied Crimea. “Russia’s fleet is getting smaller and smaller!” Oleshchuk, the air force commander, wrote on Telegram along with footage of the explosion. A Russian-appointed governor claimed only one person was killed, and two were injured in the attack, an unlikely outcome since the ship has a crew of about 100; independent Russian journalists reported dozens were wounded or missing. January 31, 2024: The Ivanovets Russian Navy’s Tarantul-class corvette Ivanovets is escorted by a Turkish Navy Coast Guard boat. Murad Sezer/Reuters In the latest of Ukraine’s string of attacks against the Black Sea Fleet, a Ukrainian special military unit sank a small warship, the Ivanovets, with six satellite-controlled naval drones powered by Jet Skis in an overnight operation on January 31. The Ivanovets is a Tarantul-class missile corvette armed with supersonic anti-ship missiles and antiaircraft missiles. Video shared by the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine appears to show the drone approaching the Ivanovets. Following a massive explosion, the vessel can be seen listing before descending stern-first into the water.
