First pictures show devastating close-up damage to Putin’s submarine Rostov-on-Don in Storm Shadow strike
The first images have emerged showing the destruction of a Russian submarine caused by a Storm Shadow missile.
The £250 million attack ship Rostov-on-Don was struck on September 13 at a repair shipyard in the Russian-occupied Black Sea port of Sevastopol, in annexed Crimea.
The images, obtained by investigative journalists from the Conflict Intelligence Team, show the extent of damage caused to the submarine while it was in dry dock.
It appears to have been hit twice by missiles supplied to Ukraine by Britain and France, both of which left gaping holes in its hull and destroyed its internal mechanics.
The CIT report suggests that the submarine’s living compartments and other areas were also damaged, meaning that the Rostov-on-Don is unlikely to participate in the war again.
Conflict Intelligence Team shares photos of extensive damage to submarine Rostov-on-Don after September 13, 2023 Storm Shadow attack on Sevastopol
The images, obtained by investigative journalists from the Conflict Intelligence Team, show the extent of damage caused to the submarine while it was in dry dock.
Massacre on Putin’s large warship Minsk, after a Ukrainian missile attack on the Sevastopol shipyard
A mast on board the Minsk was damaged after the attack
The Rostov-on-Don submarine (photo) was put out of action during an early morning missile attack in Crimea on September 13, 2023
One large hole “is located on top of the bow of the submarine,” as shown by previous satellite images of the stricken ship used by Putin to attack Ukraine during the war.
‘The second hit occurred on the starboard side of the boat, in the area behind the command point.
“Unlike the first, it cannot be captured via satellite imagery,” the report said.
The shipyard strike also caused serious damage to the large landing ship Minsk.
Some Ukrainian sources claim that Russia concealed the deaths of 24 people during the strike.
On the same day, a ‘Sea Baby’ kamikaze drone damaged the Russian missile hovercraft Samum near the port of Sevastopol, while a naval drone also damaged the patrol ship Vasily Bykov.
The attacks on the Black Sea port come as the European Union prepares for a fight over what to include in its 12th package of sanctions over Russia’s war in Ukraine, Bloomberg News reported Monday.
The new measures, which could be presented as early as next month, are likely to include the EU’s version of the G7’s upcoming ban on Russian diamond purchases and possibly a long-awaited proposal to cut profits generated by frozen central bank assets to use to help Kiev. , the report added, citing people familiar with discussions.
Meanwhile, China’s top diplomat in Russia is on his way to Moscow to discuss military and security cooperation between the two nations.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who simultaneously holds the ruling Communist Party’s top foreign policy post, will be in Russia from Monday to Thursday for strategic security consultations between China and Russia, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. a short explanation.
The US and China are at odds over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
China has refrained from taking sides in the war, saying that while a country’s territory must be respected, the West must take into account Russian security concerns over NATO expansion.
It has accused the US of prolonging the fighting by supplying weapons to Ukraine, weapons it says are needed to defend against Russian aggression.
Chinese Communist Party foreign policy chief Wang Yi will be in Moscow this week for security meetings
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on the draft federal budget for 2024 and the planning period of 2025 and 2026, via video link at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, September 18, 2023
Wang’s trip to Moscow comes a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un left Russia following a six-day visit that included talks with President Vladimir Putin at a spaceport in the far east, visits to aircraft factories and inspections of nuclear-capable strategic bombers and an advanced warship.
China and Russia have grown closer as relations with the West have deteriorated for both, and China is seeking support in its efforts to reform the US-led international order into one more accommodating to its approach.
Last month it helped expand the BRICS partnership, inviting another six countries to join what has been a five-country bloc that also includes China and Russia.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning called Wang’s visit to Russia a routine visit to hold in-depth discussions on major strategic security interests.
Wang resigned as foreign minister late last year and took up the senior position of Communist Party foreign affairs chief, but was recalled as foreign minister in July after his successor, Qin Gang, disappeared from public view .
It is unclear what happened to Qin, but he may have fallen out of favor with the leadership.
More recently, Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu has also not been seen for about three weeks, sparking speculation about his fate.
It is unusual for two sitting Cabinet members to disappear from view, although this does not appear to indicate a clear change in defense or foreign policy.
The Chinese government has not said anything about Li’s disappearance. When Mao, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, asked about it on Monday, she said she was not aware of the situation.