Ukraine is celebrating a minor victory after the country’s military struck several Russian Navy vessels in a recent attack. Among the ships to suffer damage in the assault was the Konstantin Olshansky, which, along with several other naval assets, was stolen from the Ukrainian Navy during the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014.
The attack took place over the weekend, with Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk telling the the public on national television that four ships were struck: the Konstantin Olshansky; the Yury Ivanov-class reconnaissance ship Ivan Khurs; and the amphibious landing vessels Yamal and Azov. He added that a communication’s center and other key infrastructure were also hit.
It’s alleged the Konstantin Olshansky suffered enough damage to render the ship no longer suitable for combat use.
As aforementioned, the ship, named for the World War II-era Soviet war hero, was taken in 2014 when Russia took control of Crimea. Most of the Ukrainian Navy’s assets were also taken in the attack, with the majority used as spare parts.
Ukraine has launched several attacks on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, successfully sinking and damaging several warships. This forced the Russian Navy to prepare the Konstantin Olshansky for active service.
“It had gone through a renovation and was being prepared for use against Ukraine, so unfortunately the decision was taken to strike this [ship],” Pletenchuk explained, adding the weapon used to attack the vessel was an R-360 Neptune anti-ship missile.
The R-360 is a Ukrainian subsonic cruise missile that traces its origins back to the Soviet-era Kh-35. It first saw use at sea back in 2022, sinking the Black Sea Fleet’s flagship, Moskva, shortly after.
Writing on Twitter after the attack, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine said that “justice has been restored” and proclaimed, “Ukraine will win!”
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Russia has yet comment on what transpired.