The defeat of the Russian missile corvette Askold in temporarily occupied Kerch is a unique operation. After all, for the first time in history, Ukraine destroyed a Russian missile ship that had not yet been put into operation.
The Ukrainian military portal Defense Express drew attention to this.
Ukrainian Defense Forces hit the Karakurt-class corvette Askold during an attack on the Zaliv plant in Kerch. Photos appeared online confirming significant damage to the launch vehicle. Most likely it cannot be repaired.
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“Ukraine also became the first in history to destroy an enemy missile ship that had not yet left the factory and was not commissioned into its fleet,” Defense Express experts note.
What is known about the damage to the Askold launch vehicle
The publication notes that the Russian ship “although it remained afloat, it received very critical damage to very important elements.”
Ukrainian Defense Forces launched a strike with SCALP-EG missiles.
Defense Express notes that the missiles hit the central part of the hull of the Askold ship. There were 8 vertical launchers for launching Caliber or P-800 Oniks cruise missiles.
That is, during the attack it was possible to destroy the main weapon system of the corvette.
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The nature of the external damage to the ship indicates that the occupiers will most likely “have to scrap most, if not all, of the ship’s on-board equipment” located on the bridge.
In addition, diesel engines on ships of the Karakurt project are located in a compartment in the center of the hull. Therefore, it is unlikely that the launch vehicle’s power plant will be able to continue functioning.
The Russian Federation planned to commission the Askold missile corvette in December 2023. The ship was supposed to join the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
If the occupiers decide to restore the launch vehicle, they will have to do it from scratch.
“Because with the damaged power plant, on-board control equipment and the main weapons system, this damaged ship is just a collection of scrap metal,” concluded Defense Express.
Strike on Kerch: what is known
On the evening of November 4, powerful explosions occurred in temporarily occupied Kerch in Crimea.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces hit the sea and port infrastructure of the Zaliv plant. The Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces hinted that SCALP-EG missiles were used.
Subsequently, the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported the defeat of the Russian Askold launch vehicle, a new ship of the Karakurt project with stealth technology. He stood in the dock of a shipyard. It was noted that the ship received significant damage “and may be beyond repair.”
