Russia's large landing ships struggle amidst technical issues and repair delays

Oleksandr Kovalenko, Ukrainian military and political analyst, commented on Russia’s issues with large landing ships construction and deployment.

Russia's large landing ships are facing significant challenges and losses. A recent incident in Novorossiysk involving the Project 775 highlights that the city is no longer considered a deep-rear area. Moreover, it reflects poorly on Russia's security system, which appears inadequate.

Project 775 is an older Soviet-era landing ship, built in 1976 in Gdansk. It may not carry advanced weaponry like Kalibr missiles, but it serves crucial purposes, transporting cargo, equipment, and personnel. Today, no Russian shipyard is capable of building such ships.

For instance, in March 2022, the Russian Saratov landing ship was destroyed, and two other Project 775 landing ships, Caesar Kunikov and Novocherkassk, were damaged in the port of Berdyansk. Despite a year passing since the incident, repair work on these landing ships remains incomplete, rendering them unable to perform combat missions.

Russia in general has huge problems with the construction of large landing ships. One problematic project is the 11711, representing a technical and design disaster. The lead ship, Ivan Gren, took 11 years to construct, displaying poor stability and suffering from over 40 design flaws. Rushed into service, it became a considerable landing disaster for the Russian Navy.

The second ship of the 11711 series, Pyotr Morgunov, was meant to rectify the mistakes made during the lead ship's construction. However, it encountered its own set of problems, leading to continuous delays in factory sea trials. Despite efforts to correct errors, the ship faced similar issues as its predecessor, Ivan Gren.

In April 2019, two more Project 11711 landing ships, Vladimir Andreyev and Vasily Trushin, were laid down at the Yantar shipyard. However, there have been adjustments to the project, and the ships' completion and delivery schedules are uncertain due to ongoing changes in technical design.

The construction of each new landing ship in the 11711 series has been fraught with design and construction errors. Despite initial plans to deliver Vladimir Andreyev and Vasily Trushin in 2023 and 2024, respectively, progress has been slow, and successful sea trials are not guaranteed.

Hence, the issue of equipping the Russian Navy with modern landing ships remains unresolved by the shipbuilders of this "great maritime" power. It is evident that they struggle to construct high-quality landing ships, but they are capable of losing them in a war with a country that doesn't even have a navy.

• On the morning of Friday, August 4, residents of the Russian city of Novorossiysk have reported explosions. The Russian Defense Ministry says that Ukraine has allegedly attacked the base in the city with two naval drones