Russia’s Battered Black Sea Fleet Ships Found Tucked Away in Occupied Sevastopol

Several damaged vessels belonging to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet have been spotted sheltering in bays around temporarily occupied Sevastopol, including a damaged missile boat concealed beneath camouflage netting, Crimean Wind reported on August 26.

“The battered hulks of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet are hiding in Sevastopol’s bays,” the monitoring channel said.

Among the vessels identified was the Epron rescue ship, moored near an empty dry dock. The vessel dates back to 1959, making it one of the oldest ships still associated with Russia’s Black Sea Fleet operations.

A damaged Project 1241 Molniya-class missile boat was also observed in Sevastopol Bay. The vessel, built in the late 1980s, appeared to be missing part of its superstructure, with the damaged section covered by camouflage nets.

Another damaged Russian warship was located in Sukharnaya Bay, where a Project 775 large landing ship built around 1988-1990 was seen moored. The vessel has reportedly sustained damage on multiple occasions.

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A Project 1171 Tapir-class large landing ship was also identified in the same area. The Soviet-era vessel, built either in 1968 or 1975, was damaged during a Ukrainian missile strike in 2023.

Ukraine has been systematically destroying Russian Black Sea Fleet assets since the start of the Russian invasion. As of July, Russian naval losses in the Black Sea included 19 destroyed and 18 damaged vessels. By class, the Russian Black Sea Fleet lost:

• main combat ships: 33 total—4 destroyed, 8 damaged;

• landing ships: 34 total—15 destroyed, 10 damaged;

• auxiliary vessels: 23 total—3 destroyed, 9 damaged.

Earlier, reports emerged that two Russian Black Sea Fleet frigates, Admiral Makarov and Admiral Essen, sustained serious damage during an August 12 strike on the Novorossiysk naval base.

Satellite imagery released by the account appears to show damage to the frigates’ missile launch systems, raising the possibility that both vessels may have lost their ability to launch Kalibr cruise missiles. The exact extent of the damage has not been officially disclosed.

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