Russian amphibious assault ship Minsk damaged: is it possible to restore it?

Defense Express reports this with reference to a photo of the Project 775 large amphibious assault ship Minsk damaged by a missile attack.

The shot was taken near the Sevastopol shipyard, where the vessel was in dry dock, according to the Crimean Wind Telegram channel. It demonstrates that, although being in dry dock, different portions of the ship have varying heels. At the same time, the ship must be supported while in dry dock. 

"That is, the ship either fell off them or its hull is broken, and given the difference in roll between the stern, center and bow, it is quite possible that it is broken. This is quite possible in the case of a prolonged fire, when metal bulkheads lose their strength and "leak" due to the high temperature of the fire," the company writes. 

Another theory is that Russian experts opted to partially flood the dry dock in order to drown the ship and put out the fire.

It is also feasible to pinpoint the fire's origin. It landed in the ship's center, where the engine room is housed. The ship's pipe is not visible, nor is the central superstructure, which most likely crashed into the hull as a result of the fire's diminished structural strength. Of course, the mast's radar equipment was damaged. 

"Moreover, smoke is still visible above the ship, indicating that the fire is continuing, which means that the cable communications are burning out. All of this indicates that the ship is completely disabled and destroyed as a combat unit," Defense Express notes. 

Despite this fact, the Russian Defense Ministry has announced that the Minsk and Rostov-on-Don submarines "will be fully restored and will continue their combat service as part of their fleets."

Ukrainian pilots reportedly used cruise missiles to attack the Russian ships, experts says citing Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuck. Storm Shadow/SCALP is one of the leading ‘candidates’. These missiles are equipped with a 450 kg warhead, the majority of which explodes in the center of the target.