Ukrainian Strike Cripples Russian Submarine-Reconnaissance Ships at Occupied Crimea Shipyard

Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) special forces have struck two Russian naval support vessels and air defense equipment in the temporarily occupied city of Kerch.

The SBU said that operatives from its “Alpha” special unit carried out successful drone strikes on vessels located at the “Zaliv” shipyard in occupied Kerch.

Among the targets were Project 15310 cable-laying ships Volga and Vyatka, as well as the cargo-passenger ferry Petropavlovsk, which was reportedly 96% complete. The agency said the strikes triggered a large-scale fire on board the vessels.

According to the SBU, the Volga and Vyatka were being constructed for Russia’s Ministry of Defense. Their intended role included deploying the “Harmonia” underwater hydroacoustic surveillance system for submarine reconnaissance.

The vessels were also designed to lay non-contact mines capable of targeting ships, underwater pipelines, communication cables, and other critical infrastructure assets, with each ship valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, the agency said.

In addition, SBU drones reportedly struck weapons systems and a radar station belonging to a Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile complex deployed to cover the Kerch Strait area.

Separately, Ukraine’s Defense Forces said they struck two Russian radar systems in the Kerch area of temporarily occupied Crimea. According to the General Staff, the targets included a Nebo radar installation and a Skala-M radar complex, both part of Russia’s air surveillance and early-warning network on the peninsula.

The strikes are part of an ongoing Ukrainian effort to degrade Russian detection and air defense capabilities used to monitor aircraft, drones, and missiles, as well as to disrupt military logistics across occupied territories.

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In addition, Ukrainian forces reported hitting three bridges used by Russian troops for the movement of personnel and the transport of ammunition.

Earlier, Russia cut back rail links with occupied Crimea, cancelling 11 train routes, with the final departure scheduled for July 8. Going forward, only seven trains will run to and from the peninsula, all of them serving Kerch.

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