(SEVASTOPOL, CRIMEA) – Ukrainian forces have carried out a successful drone strike against vessels of the Russian Black Sea Fleet moored in Sevastopol Bay, resulting in damage to five ships. The attack, conducted using FP-2 drones, targeted both active transport vessels and landing craft previously damaged in earlier Ukrainian operations.
Video footage released by Ukrainian military sources shows two distinct impacts on large landing ships. The first FP-2 drone struck the upper structure of a Project 775 Ropucha class vessel near its radar mast. A second drone is seen approaching a different warship as crew members gathered on deck observing its flight path; that munition struck near the bridge. A subsequent detonation was also recorded against a radar installation.
The vessels identified in the strike include the Ropucha class landing ships Yamal, Azov, and Konstantin Olshansky, as well as the Tapir class (Project 1171) landing ship Nikolai Filchenkov. Additionally, the Project 1288.4 intelligence ship Slavutych was confirmed to have sustained damage.
Analysis of the footage by the open source intelligence monitor CyberBoroshno corroborates the damage assessment across all five hulls. The Yamal and Konstantin Olshansky had both been previously crippled by Ukrainian Storm Shadow missile strikes and had not ventured from the port in occupied Sevastopol since those prior engagements. The Konstantin Olshansky was a Ukrainian naval asset until Russian forces seized it during the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. Reports indicate the Russian military had recently intended to use the Konstantin Olshansky as a source of spare parts to repair the Minsk, a vessel which was subsequently destroyed by Ukrainian forces.
The Nikolai Filchenkov represents a more operationally significant loss for the Russian Black Sea Fleet, as it is believed to have remained an active warship engaged in logistics and transport duties. Its presence in Sevastopol Bay is notable given the Russian dictator’s decision to largely abandon the port as a major naval hub due to the persistent threat of Ukrainian strikes. The Slavutych, another vessel stolen from Ukraine in 2014, was also hit in the operation.
While FP-2 drones carry a substantial explosive payload, their impact is primarily confined to surface level damage to superstructures, radar arrays, and bridge equipment, rather than the deep waterline penetration and internal detonation characteristic of Neptune or Storm Shadow missiles. Consequently, the vessels are not expected to sink outright but will require extensive repairs and remain out of service for an extended period.
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