The ship Ivan Khurs was damaged in an attack by sea drones. A preliminary rescue ship of the Russian Navy is now towing it, and the Russians are afraid that the ship will not sink.
Recently, the Russian reconnaissance ship Ivan Khurs was attacked in the Black Sea. The strike was carried out by unknown naval drones. Preliminary damage was received by the propulsion system of the ship and the missile guidance system.
Moscow has traditionally denied a strike on Khursu. However, Russian so-called “military correspondents” confirm that the ship was seriously damaged and say it could even sink.
Note that Ivan Khurs is a project 18280 reconnaissance ship of the Russian Federation. Its tasks include providing communications and fleet control, conducting radio reconnaissance and electronic warfare, and spying on the components of the American missile defense system. She is one of two such ships in the Russian fleet and the only one that carried out reconnaissance functions in the Black Sea, therefore it is considered a serious loss for Moscow.
The official position of the Russians
Russian military bloggers were the first to report the attack on Khursa. According to them, the attack took place around 5 am on May 24. It took the Russian Ministry of Defense more than 12 hours to finally confirm the attack. The Russian agency claimed that the “attack” was “unsuccessful” and that all three unmanned boats were destroyed.
The Russians also posted a video allegedly destroying a drone, but only one.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that Ivan Khurs performed tasks for the “operational safety” of the Turkish Stream and Blue Stream gas pipelines in the economic zone of Turkey. The drones, according to the department, were allegedly destroyed 140 km from the Bosphorus. Although, according to Defense Express, the range of the approximate area where the ship was attacked from the controlled territory of Ukraine is more than 400 km.
“Truth” from propagandists
Russian “military correspondents” claim that Ivan Khurs was attacked by five kamikaze sea drones. Three were apparently destroyed, but two hit the ship and made two holes in it.
“Ivan Khurs did not sink, but was seriously damaged and there is a threat that he will sink now,” the propagandists write.
Now, according to them, the ship is being towed, “tentatively to Novorossiysk, but maybe to Sevastopol.” If the ship does not sink, its repair can last from six months to a year, the military correspondents of the Russian Federation say.
“This seriously weakens our positions throughout the Black Sea and expands the enemy’s ability to attack ships of the Black Sea Fleet – both on the high seas and in Sevastopol and other ports. Our fleet is not ready to effectively deal with enemy unmanned boats,” propagandists analyze.
They also report that five sailors and one officer were killed during the attack. Two fell into the sea from the impact of drones and drowned, four died in the engine room of the ship, where one of the strikes fell.
What they say in Ukraine
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine confirmed the attack on Ivan Khurs in the Black Sea and showed the corresponding video.
“When the Russian reconnaissance ship Ivan Khurs met the Ukrainian drone. Indeed, the perfect couple!” – the message says.
When the russian reconnaissance ship “Ivan Khurs” met a Ukrainian drone.
Indeed, a perfect match! pic.twitter.com/mW3clD0vHh— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) May 25, 2023
On the eve of the Ukrainian media, citing sources in military circles, they reported that the hull and equipment of the vessel were damaged as a result of the attack, and there were wounded. The ship is in serious need of repair.
Today, the speaker of the operational headquarters of the Odessa Regional Military Administration, Sergei Bratchuk, said that Moscow is trying to hide information about the damage to the reconnaissance ship. According to him, the Russians have already become confused themselves and have begun to come up with different versions of the incident.
“They got so confused in the testimony that they came out on their own. Firstly, they first reported that Ivan Khurs had passed the Bosphorus, which is theoretically simply impossible, because the strait is closed, especially for Russian warships. And then it was said that supposedly after passing the Bosporus, it was attacked by a naval drone, which was destroyed. The Russians immediately “destroy everything,” says Bratchuk.
After that, the Russians began to get confused in the indications of the distance – at first they announced 40 miles from the Bosphorus, then 140 miles came out.
Moreover, Bratchuk believes that the video published by the Russian Ministry of Defense resembles a computer naval game. The video features impressive special effects and a great explosion. This inevitably raised many questions and doubts, the speaker added.
“The Russians also published a photograph in which the ship returns to the Sevastopol Bay, allegedly in complete safety. However, the first thing that attracted attention was the absence of leaves on the trees. It turns out that this picture was taken at a completely different time of the year and two years ago,” he added. speaker of the Odessa OVA.
the photo that Bratchuk is talking about
In general, Bratchuk hinted at a very big loss for the Russians, because Khurs provides communications for fleet management and was equipped “to the fullest”.
“This project is not only for the Black Sea, but also for the Mediterranean and for the ocean. This is a ship that can provide communications and fleet management. Moreover, it does this through various types of communications, it can participate in radar warfare, i.e., as they say , “to the full extent”,” Bratchuk said.
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