The Russian navy moved three amphibious landing boats out of the Black Sea and into the Azov Sea, Ukrainian Navy Speaker Dmytro Pletenchuk mentioned during a question and answer session.
A Russian landing boat and a submarine were allegedly damaged in Crimea during a Sept. 13 attack by Ukraine. Pletenchuk said that the ship that was hit, Minsk, can't be restored because of the nature of the damage and its advanced age.
His statement echoed British intelligence, whose report stated that the Minsk was almost certainly destroyed. The submarine Rostov-on-Don, meanwhile, took catastrophic damage and would take a huge investment of time and money to restore.
Ukraine's attack on Sept. 13 targeted the Sevmorzavod shipyard, important for maintaining ships in the Black Sea. Some of it was damaged, possibly slowing down its ability to repair Russian warships.
Ukrainian forces also hit a Russian S-400 missile installation, the second in several weeks, with damage believed to be high. This weakens Russia's air defense over Crimea and the land and sea around it, making its ships and land forces more vulnerable.
Crimea is critical for its naval infrastructure and line of supply for the Russian forces in Ukraine. Russian warships are important missile platforms that attack Odesa and other parts of Ukraine.
Igor Kossov
