Russia’s Tarantul-class corvette sinks in Sevastopol after Ukrainian strike - ISW
Satellite images confirm that as a result of Ukrainian strikes targeting Russia’s naval assets in temporarily occupied Crimea late December 2023, a Russian Tarantul-type corvette was sunk.
This is stated by the Institute for the Study of War think tank, Ukrinform reports.
"Ukrainian partisans and satellite imagery confirmed that Ukrainian strikes against occupied Crimea in late December 2023 sank a Russian Tarantul-class corvette near Sevastopol," the report reads.
It is noted that on January 18, the Crimea-based Atesh partisan movement said its members discovered a sunken Tarantul-class corvette in Hravska Bay, Sevastopol, and satellite imagery of the relevant coordinates confirmed that the ship sank between December 28 and 31.
At the same time, the Russian-controlled authorities in Crimea claimed that on December 29 and 30, the Russian military allegedly repelled all Ukrainian air and naval drone strikes against Sevastopol.
"This confirmation of a previously unaccounted-for successful Ukrainian strike indicates that Ukraine‘s recent strike campaign against occupied Crimea may have been more successful than has been confirmed thus far by open sources," ISW analysts wrote.
They also recalled that in the summer of 2023, Ukraine’s Defense Forces launched a successful attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet assets, which forced the invaders to pull their warships from their main base in Sevastopol.
As reported, in the early hours of December 28, a series of explosions was heard in Crimea’s Krasnoperekopsk district. The Russians said it was a Ukrainian drone attack.
On the morning of December 30, a powerful explosion was reported in the central part of Sevastopol. in the Russian Ministry of Defense said a naval drone had attacked the area.
Starting from August 2022, Russia-occupied Crimea, including the naval base of Sevastopol, have been targeted in multiple Ukrainian strikes involving drones and other capabilities.
The Russian command has dismissed most of the reports of damage caused to their military assets.