In the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine was confirmed the fact of an attack on May 24th by unidentified naval drones of the russian ship “Ivan Khurs”, which was conducting a reconnaissance mission 74 kilometers north of the Bosporus Strait and 400 kilometers away from the territory controlled by Ukraine.
Despite the assurances of the speaker of the russian ministry of defense, i. konashenkov, that all “three naval drones were destroyed from the standart weapon of the russian ship” and that the ship itself “sustained no damage”, the ministry released a video showing the probable destruction of only one of the botes. However, the published footage from the naval drone rapidly approaching the ship confirmed the obvious – at least one of the three naval drones, that was sent to attack the enemy ship, reached its target.
After the news of the attack on the stern of the russian fleet ship spread online, russian propaganda media and Telegram channels attempted to refute the damage of the ship by spreading old videos of it and presenting photos of an unknown minesweeper in Sevastopolas the “returned” “Khurs”. They also claimed that the ship had sustained minor damage and took its course towards a “secret base” for repairs.
❗️”Ivan Khurs” is the first serial reconnaissance vessel ship of project 18280 of the russian black sea fleet, launched in 2017 (in total, the project involves the construction of 2 ships, one of which is still under construction and is expected to be launched no earlier than 2027). The tasks of the ships of this project include ensuring communication and fleet management, conducting radio intelligence and electronic warfare, monitoring components of the American missile defense system, and air defense systems. Although the russian ministry of defense claims
that “Ivan Khurs” ensures the security of the “Turkish Stream” and “Blue Stream” gas pipelines in the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Türkiye, in fact, since April 14, “Ivan Khurs” has been monitoring the actions of the guided-missile destroyer “Ross” of the US Navy, which entered the Black Sea waters.
To what extent does the another attack on the russian black sea fleet diminish its combat capabilities?
The answers to this calamity issue are carefully avoided by both russian military officials and kremlin-controlled media, and it is understandable why.”
Firstly, the damaged ship “Ivan Khurs” was the only ship of project 18280 in the russian radio-electronic reconnaissance arsenal, specifically designed to effectively monitor components of air defense and missile defense systems. The loss of such a unit significantly impacts the battlereadiness of the russian navy. The exact composition of the on-board radio-technical arsenal of this ship is classified information. However, based on what has been disclosed, it can be confidently stated that in case of incapacitating “Ivan Khurs,” the black sea fleet has no replacement for its capabilities. Furthermore, this unlikely “replacement” would not be allowed to pass through the Bosporus Strait by Türkiye until the end of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Secondly, the likely incapacitation of “Ivan Khurs” was another significant loss for the russian black sea fleet in the chain of previous ones, further undermining the Kremlin’s system of radio reconnaissance and countering Western and Ukrainian missile defense systems in the Black Sea region. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, 18 watercafts, including warships and boats, have been destroyed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, the most important loss was on April 14, 2022, when the Ukrainian missiles “Neptun” struck the cruiser and flagship of the russian black sea fleet, the “moskva.” The onboard air defense system of the cruiser provided crucial “cover” for other fleet ships during amphibious operations and
strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure.
This loss has yet to be compensated, resulting in a lack of successful amphibious operations by russia. Another significant strike occurred in early March 2023 that damaged a russian A-50 reconnaissance aircraft at the “Machulishchy” airfield near Minsk. The equipment on the A-50, responsible for coordinating missile and kamikaze drone attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, was so severely affected that the aircraft has not returned from repairs yet, evidently reducing the effectiveness of missile strikes from Belarusian territory.
Therefore, against the backdrop of Ukraine systematically dismantling the most technologically advanced russian systems responsible for reconnaissance and air defense, the damage to “Ivan Khurs” has further deepened the degradation of the russian naval forces and their ability to influence events in the Black Sea. The events surrounding the russian navy are a severe blow to the image of russian gowerment and, specifically, to putin himself. The myth of russia’s dominance in the Black Sea has been definitively shattered in the minds of both Western and russian audiences, and propaganda efforts can’t change that.
