New satellite tv for pc imagery gives clear appears to be like on the aftermath of the destruction of the Russian Navy’s Ropucha class touchdown ship Novocherkassk. There may be clear harm to the pier the place the vessel, which is now only a burned-out hulk, was moored within the port metropolis of Feodosia on the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. Novocherkassk suffered a number of secondary explosions, together with one which produced an enormous fireball, after being hit by Ukrainian air-launched cruise missiles, as you may learn extra about in The Warfare Zone‘s preliminary reporting.
The small print of the devastation might be seen in a high-resolution satellite tv for pc picture of Feodosia taken at the moment that The Warfare Zone has obtained from Planet Labs and one other one from Maxar Applied sciences taken yesterday. The New York Occasions‘ Christiaan Triebert was the primary to share the Maxar picture.
The imagery reveals the submerged stays of Novocherkassk and a minimum of one distinct impression crater and indentation within the pier alongside the place the vessel had been. There are what seem like smaller craters, in addition to heavy scorching and particles, elsewhere alongside the pier.
The satellite tv for pc imagery reveals harm to what had been a protracted white-roofed construction close to the place the touchdown ship had been moored. A dividing wall in the midst of the pier appears to be like to have helped defend the other aspect to a level, however different buildings can nonetheless be seen to have been partially broken.
The imagery gives additional affirmation that the coaching ship UTS-150 was left largely submerged, if not additionally fully destroyed, on account of the incident. One other massive vessel or barge additionally appears to be like to have been broken. Up to now, the Ukrainian Air Pressure has solely claimed to have destroyed the Novocherkassk in its strikes on Feodosia.
Low-resolution imagery The Warfare Zone obtained from Planet Labs yesterday had already proven definitely that Novocherkassk had been fully destroyed within the Ukrainian strike and indicated that UTS-150 had been sunk.
Footage taken on the bottom that first started circulating on-line yesterday additionally confirmed further harm to port services.
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Proof had additionally already emerged yesterday of enormous particles having been despatched flying a substantial distance away from the port when Novocherkassk blew up.
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Russian authorities have acknowledged the incident, however have falsely claimed that the touchdown ship was solely broken. The Russian authorities has additionally stated that just one particular person was killed and two extra had been wounded on account of the Ukrainian strikes. Impartial, however there are nonetheless unconfirmed stories saying that as many as 33 Russian Navy sailors could also be lacking, and are presumably useless, and that 23 extra had been injured.
Ukrainian authorities have additionally denied Russian claims that the Su-24 Fencer swing-wing fight jets that launched the missiles had been shot down. There are unconfirmed stories that particles from a Storm Shadow cruise missile has been recovered in Feodosia.
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Ukrainian Su-24s are the nation’s platforms for launching the stealthy Storm Shadows, in addition to just about equivalent SCALP-EG cruise missiles, which have been provided by the UK and France, respectively. These missiles have already been used to good impact up to now, together with in opposition to Russian ships and submarines in port.
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Precisely what triggered Novocherkassk to blow up so violently when it was hit stays unknown. The Russian Navy has been actively utilizing Ropuchas and different massive touchdown ships to maneuver personnel and materiel round varied occupied areas of Ukraine because the begin of the all-out invasion in February 2022. Actually, one of many clearest indicators that Russian forces had been about to launch that operation was the redeployment of a number of amphibious warfare ships to the Black Sea.
Ropucha class vessels have additionally been notably used as ferries for army and civilian automobiles to and from Crimea following assaults on the Kerch Strait Bridge.
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“They get loaded and transfer quicker from one coast to the opposite. This ship could possibly be used to move cargo to the ports of the occupied territories,” Ukrainian Air Pressure spokesperson Col. Yuri Ignat advised Radio Svoboda, a U.S. government-funded outlet, yesterday. “It might as nicely carry munitions, together with the Shahed kamikaze drones, to Feodosia or different ports. The enemy launches Shaheds on a regular basis so the destruction of a giant batch, let’s hope it was the case.”
Altogether, the lack of Novocherkassk is important for the Russian Navy, which now solely has 12 of those ships nonetheless in energetic service in complete. One other Ropucha was significantly broken, if not completely destroyed, in a mixed Ukrainian cruise missile and kamikaze drone boat assault on the Crimean port metropolis of Sevastopol in September. Ukrainian uncrewed floor vessels significantly broken a 3rd one in all these touchdown ships in a separate incident the month earlier than.
Novocherkassk was really caught up in a separate Ukrainian strike on the Russian-occupied port metropolis of Berdyansk on the Sea of Azov approach again in March 2022. The strike, which can have been carried out utilizing a Tochka-U short-range ballistic missile, resulted within the destruction of the Alligator class touchdown ship Orsk, which additionally exploded in an enormous fireball after being hit. Novocherkassk, in addition to one other Ropucha, the Tsesar Kunikov, had been moored in Berdyansk close to the Orsk on the time. Video footage of that incident confirmed one in all them showing to be on fireplace, a minimum of for a time, however each of them crusing away below their very own energy.
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The strike Novocherkassk can also be one more instance of the aptitude that Ukrainian forces have gained by the supply of stealthy air-launched Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG cruise missiles from the UK and France. Observers have additionally identified that the missile strike was profitable regardless of a Russian surface-to-air missile website being located comparatively near Feodosia. Nevertheless, a evaluate of satellite tv for pc imagery of that location in Planet Labs raises questions on its degree of operation in current months.
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On the identical time, Russian air defenses have been seen struggling to intercept Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG missiles up to now. Ukrainian forces even have entry to a minimum of a small stockpile of U.S.-made ADM-160 Miniature Air Launched Decoys (MALD), and these look to have been employed to assist earlier Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG strikes. Ukraine might now produce other decoys, which can be utilized to confuse or distract enemy forces, as nicely.
As The Warfare Zone‘s Tyler Rogoway wrote in our earlier reporting on this incident:
“Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG is an excellent anti-ship weapon when these ships are in port/absolutely static. Add smaller ports the place air defenses are much less dense (in comparison with Sevastopol) after which add a goal that’s closely laden with high-explosives — a lot larger likelihood at full write off and secondary harm to infrastructure (which might have an even bigger impression that destroying the ship) and different ships — and you’ve got an ideal goal.”
“Intel on what was on that ship and the window for assault was possible the primary catalyst for executing it. Sure, for taking that explosive materiel off the desk however extra so due to the huge secondary explosion potential it had. Selecting targets with main secondary potential has been a key aspect of this conflict on each side, however Ukraine utilizing its valuable cruise missiles on this method makes absolute sense and we’ll possible be seeing extra of it going ahead.”
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The brand new satellite tv for pc picture of Feodosia from Maxar underscores the success of the Ukrainian strike on the Novocherkassk and solely reinforces the probability that Ukraine’s armed forces will proceed to hunt alternatives to focus on Russian warships in port.
Contact the writer: joe@thedrive.com
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