On August 3, Ukraine’s military announced a major victory, claiming a Ukrainian missile strike had sunk a Russian Black Sea Fleet submarine and significantly damaged a S-400 air defense system in Russian-occupied Crimea.
The Ukrainian military’s statement, shared on Telegram, reported that the strike had “significantly damaged” four launchers of Russia’s advanced S-400 Triumph air defense system. The Kilo-class submarine Rostov-on-Don was named as the vessel sunk in the port of Sevastopol.
“As a result of the hit, the boat sank on the spot,” the General Staff declared. The submarine, valued at an estimated $300 million and capable of launching Kalibr cruise missiles, had previously sustained “significant damage” in a Ukrainian missile attack last September but had since been repaired.
These claims by Ukraine have yet to be independently verified by The Kyiv Independent, and the Russian Defense Ministry has not responded to the reported strike.
On August 2, Crimea residents reported multiple blasts in Sevastopol, Simferopol, and Yevpatoria, as noted by the Telegram channel Crimean Wind. Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russian-installed proxy head of Sevastopol, alleged that fragments of drones and U.S.-made missiles were found in the city after being intercepted by air defenses, though he did not address Ukraine’s subsequent claims regarding the submarine and missile system.
This development is part of Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to target Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and military installations in Crimea, which has been under Russian occupation since 2014. Since the full-scale invasion began, Ukraine has launched repeated strikes against Russian vessels, resulting in approximately 30% of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet being lost or disabled, according to Ukrainian military reports.
These successful Ukrainian attacks on occupied Crimea have forced Moscow to relocate much of its naval forces to Novorossiysk, a key port city on the Russian mainland.
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