Ukrainian forces went after the Sevastopol shipyard on the night of September 13, 2023, and two Russian warships sitting in dry dock took the hit. Russia’s own account put the attack at 10 cruise missiles and three naval drones aimed at the yard and at vessels of the Black Sea Fleet.
Moscow said its air defenses shot down seven of the missiles. It still conceded that two ships had been damaged while under repair. Reports named them as a Kilo-class submarine, the Rostov-on-Don, and the large landing ship Minsk, a Ropucha-class vessel. Ukrainian Defense Intelligence said the shipyard, named for Sergo Ordzhonikidze, also lost equipment. NASA satellites picked up large fires across the site afterward.
What Kyiv said
Ukraine’s Air Force commander, Mykola Oleshchuk, did not claim the strike outright. He came close. “Thank you to the pilots of the Ukrainian Air Force for their excellent combat performance,” he said.
Three days later the Special Operations Forces gave a fuller picture. Their press service said the operation began with intelligence on where the ships were berthed. Operatives reached the area using underwater delivery vehicles and relied on “special reconnaissance equipment” to identify the targets. They then called in Storm Shadow cruise missiles, corrected the fire as it landed, and pulled out once the hits were confirmed. The unit’s message to Moscow was blunt: “there is no longer a safe place for them.”
UK Intelligence later judged that both vessels had suffered critical damage. Ukrainian Defense Intelligence valued the Rostov-on-Don at roughly $300 million.
The human cost
Casualty numbers never settled. Official Russian accounts spoke of 24 injured. Telegram channels reported that 26 shipyard workers were hurt and that two people had died. Reports ranged from 2 to 26 casualties among the yard’s employees, depending on the source.
Open-source analysts working from satellite imagery confirmed the scope of the strike. Both ships had been in dry dock for repairs when the missiles arrived.
Sources
- Ukraine carries out missile attack on shipyard in annexed Crimea. More than 20 people injured and two vessels damaged
- Ukraine's Special Operations Forces reveal details of missile launch on Russian submarine in Crimea
- Minus two ships: what is known about the powerful attack on Sevastopol
