UK intelligence assesses scale of damage to Russian ship and submarine caused by Ukrainian strike on Sevastopol

The UK Ministry of Defence reports.

The intelligence agency recalled that on the morning of September 13, several missiles struck the Sevmorzavod shipyard within Russia's Black Sea Fleet Sevastopol naval base. The Minsk landing ship and Kilo 636.3 class Rostov-na-Donu submarine were hit while undergoing maintenance in dry docks.

Although the Russian Defense Ministry downplays the damage to the ships, open-source data suggests that the Minsk has probably been functionally destroyed, while the Rostov has likely suffered "catastrophic damage."

"Any effort to return the submarine to service is likely to take many years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars," the report added.

According to the intelligence, there is a realistic possibility that the complex task of removing the wreckage from the dry docks will place them out of use for many months. This would pose the BSF a serious challenge in sustaining fleet maintenance.

The loss of the submarine deprives the Russian fleet of one of four submarines capable of carrying cruise missiles, which have been crucial in striking Ukraine and projecting Russian power across the Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean.

• On the night of September 13, a massive missile attack took place on a Sevastopol shipyard. As a result, two ships were damaged. Russia accuses Ukraine of the attack. Ukrainian intelligence confirms that a large Russian landing ship and submarine were hit.