UK Intelligence explains Russian ship Novocherkassk intense elimination blast
Novocherkassk exploded due to dangerous cargo on board (Russian Media)
The large landing ship Novocherkassk of the Russian Navy has been destroyed by a Ukrainian strike in the port of Feodosia on the southern coast of Russia-occupied Crimea, according to the UK Ministry of Defense.
As noted in the report, open-source data suggests that the ship was carrying explosive cargo at the time of the strike, which led to a powerful secondary explosion.
The incident brought the number of large amphibious assault ships lost by Russia since the invasion to three: Saratov on March 24, 2022, and Minsk was functionally destroyed in a dry dock on September 13, 2023. Two more landing ships were probably damaged.
According to UK intelligence, Russia planned to use its landing ships to conduct significant amphibious assaults during the invasion and doubled the number of these vessels in the Black Sea in preparation for the war.
"As the war has dragged on, the ships have been more commonly employed in providing logistical support. This is a significant role because it augments the vital and relatively fragile road and rail connection of the Crimea Bridge, which links Crimea to Russia," the UK Ministry of Defense says.
Elimination of Novocherkassk
On the night of December 26, at about 02:30, tactical aviation of the Ukrainian Air Force attacked the large landing ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Novocherkassk in Feodosia with cruise missiles. Subsequently, a large fire broke out in the port of Feodosia.
The ship was carrying Shahed kamikaze drones at the time of the attack, so the explosion was very powerful.
Read more about the destruction of Novocherkassk in RBC-Ukraine's report.
