Ukrainian attack on warship in Kerch may force Russia to move its fleet further – UK intelligence

The furthest Ukrainian strike on Russian-occupied Crimea, which has damaged the Askold warship, may force Russia to relocate its fleet further from the line of contact.

Source: UK Defence Intelligence review dated 7 November on Twitter (X), as reported by European Pravda

Quote: "As reported by Ukrainian and Russian sources, on 4 November 2023, a newly built Russian naval corvette was almost certainly damaged after being struck while alongside at the Zaliv shipyard in Kerch, occupied Crimea.

The KARAKURST-class Askold, launched in 2021, had not been commissioned into the Russian Navy. The incident is farther to the east in Crimea than most previous Ukrainian-claimed long-range strikes.

Ukraine's capability to hit Crimean shipbuilding infrastructure will likely cause Russia to consider relocating farther from the front line, delaying the delivery of new vessels."

Background:

• On 4 November, explosions were heard, and an air-raid warning was issued in Russian-occupied Crimea. Later, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, said Ukrainian pilots had carried out airstrikes on the infrastructure of the Zalyv shipyard in the city of Kerch. At the time, there was no certainty whether a warship had been destroyed.
• Late on the evening of 4 November, the Russian Defence Ministry reported that a warship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which had been docked at a shipyard in Kerch, had been "damaged".
• On the morning of 5 November, Oleshchuk confirmed that the Ukrainian forces had sunk one of the most advanced ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, a Kalibr cruise missile carrier.
• Satellite imagery dated 5 November revealed the site of the damage at the plant and a warship that also appears damaged. A photo of the destroyed Askold missile carrier also emerged online.

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