The Black Sea Fleet submarine Rostov-on-Don almost certainly suffered serious damage to its torpedo tube as a result of a cruise missile strike on a ship repair yard in Moscow-occupied Sevastopol.
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OSINT analyst HI Sutton, who specializes in warships, writes about this, as reported by Important Stories. Analysts call the loss of the Rostov-on-Don serious: it is one of four submarines of the Black Sea Fleet that carries Caliber cruise missiles.
The expert came to this conclusion based on an analysis of a satellite image published the day before by British intelligence. It shows that the missile hit the bow of the submarine. The analyst believes it pierced the strong hull that is supposed to withstand pressure when the boat is underwater.
British intelligence called the damage sustained by the submarine catastrophic. To return it to action, it will take many years and hundreds of millions of dollars, according to the British Ministry of Defense.
***UPDATE***
Based on Airbus satelite images shared by UK MoD, it appears that that #Russian Navy Pr.636.3 Improved-KILO class submarine was hit about here.
Downward penetrating warhead can have a penetrated main pressure hull, and almost certainly mangled TT etc. #OSINTpic.twitter.com/fMW8ZxEhiJ
— HI Sutton (@CovertShores) September 15, 2023
The attack on the ship repair plant in Sevastopol took place on the night of September 13. In addition to the submarine, the large landing ship Minsk was seriously damaged. OSINT project Oryx, which records the losses of Russia and Ukraine in military equipment, considers Rostov-on-Don and Minsk beyond repair. Representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Andrey Yusov also said that it would most likely not be possible to restore them.
The plant was hit by British Storm Shadow cruise missiles. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported on September 13 that it had destroyed seven out of ten missiles. Defense Express wrote that together with Storm Shadow, the Ukrainian Armed Forces probably used AGM-88 HARM anti-radar missiles, as well as drones that had decoy targets for Russian air defense. This means that even if the Russians did shoot down seven targets, not all of them were Storm Shadow missiles.
Earlier, the Special Operations Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces revealed the details of the deal. They claim that a group operated on Russian territory that directed and adjusted fire, and also confirmed the destruction of targets. The group rode boats to safety and then reached shore “thanks to underwater delivery vehicles.” After the end of the operation, the MTR soldiers “performed a successful exfiltration.”
Source: Racurs
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