Ukraine's capability to hit shipyards in Crimea will cause Russia to consider relocation – UK intelligence

The capability of the Ukrainian army to hit shipbuilding infrastructure in Crimea will likely cause Russia to consider relocation, delaying the delivery of new vessels.

The UK Defense Ministry said this in an intelligence update posted on the X social media platform (formerly Twitter), Ukrinform reports.

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

The Karakurt-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, intelligence analysts said.

"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," the ministry said.