Ukrainian Armed Forces Sink Russian Submarine, Destroy Four S-400 Systems in Crimea

The Armed Forces of Ukraine conducted a significant operation in the temporarily occupied Crimea early morning on Saturday, August 3, successfully targeting a Russian kilo-class submarine capable of deploying Kalibr cruise missiles and four S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the Russian Black Sea Fleet's Rostov-on-Don submarine in the port of Sevastopol, sinking it. This marks the second attack on the submarine during the full-scale war.

The General Staff confirmed the Saturday attack in a Facebook post.

“The Russian Black Sea Fleet submarine Rostov-on-Don was successfully struck in the port of Sevastopol. Following the strike, the submarine sank on the spot,” the post reads

In addition to sinking the submarine, the Ukrainian forces, in collaboration with units of the Naval Forces, damaged four launchers of the Triumph air defense system.

The Rostov-on-Don B-237 submarine, classified by NATO as a Kilo-class submarine, was commissioned on December 26, 2014, and is one of four Kilo-class submarines capable of deploying Kalibr missiles.

On September 13, 2023, a Ukrainian missile attack for the first time damaged the Russian submarine Rostov-on-Don, along with sinking Minsk – another major naval vessel.

Following the attack, the submarine underwent repairs and was tested in the waters of Sevastopol harbor. Its cost is estimated at $300 million.

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While the loss of the Minsk was certainly a blow to Russia – after all it was the third large surface vessel Ukraine had destroyed – the impact of the submarine’s destruction had even broader implications.

The destruction of the submarine was particularly valuable, not only because it has removed a military asset from Russia’s order of battle but also for reasons of both morale and increased security.

Since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have destroyed or disabled at least 28 Russian vessels.

This is almost a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Constant attacks forced the Russian command to transfer the ships away from the shores of Ukraine.