On the night of May 19, the Ukrainian Armed Forces sank another ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense announced the sinking of the minesweeper «Kovrovets» during a strike on Sevastopol. According to official data, this is the 27th Russian warship destroyed by Russia — but there may be one more.
It is reported that the «Kovrovets» was sunk by two ATACMS missiles provided by the United States. A two-ton missile is not usually an anti-ship weapon. According to sources, the inertial-guided ATACMS has an accuracy of up to 9 meters — not accurate enough for naval combat.
Some models of the missile, such as the M39 and M-39A1, are cluster munitions — they scatter hundreds of grenade-sized rounds, which helps to hit targets. it also increases the radius of damage and can damage objects around the target. A hit «Kovrovets» with ATACMS could mean that Ukraine has received a modification of the M48 (over 270 km) or M57 (over 300 km) with 213 kg warheads in addition to the M39 and M39A1.These missiles are also more accurate and generally more precise than military observers had imagined.
Trawler «Kovrovets», Project 266M «Aquamarine»
- Water replacement — 800 tons
- Length — 61 m
- Width — 10.2 m
- Speed — up to 16.5 knots
- Range — 2000 nautical miles
- Autonomous navigation — 10 days
- Crew — 68 people
The ship is armed with two AK-230 30 mm guns, two 2M-3M guns, an MTOW «Zhalo» for the DShK machine gun, 8 MANPADS «Strela-3» (16 missiles), two RBU-1200 rocket launchers, seven KMD-1000 bottom mines.
The defeat of the ATACMS ship means that Sevastopol is becoming virtually unsuitable for basing Russian ships. This is also facilitated by the damage to the S-400 air defense system that protects Sevastopol and the neighboring «Belbek» air base, which failed to neutralize the missiles.
Accurate ATACMS with new warheads could also pose a significant threat to the Kerch bridge, which connects southern Russia to occupied Crimea. The same accuracy that allows M48 or M57 to hit a ship also allows them to hit a bridge.
«ATACMS creates a major change, rendering a key area of war incapable: Crimea», — — said Phillips O’Brien, Professor of Strategic Studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
But the «Kovrovets» may not be the only Russian ship hit in this attack. First, Russian channels, and then Ukrainian sources, talk about another — small missile ship «Cyclone». In fact, it was the last carrier of Russian cruise missiles in Crimea.
Officially, the head of the Joint Coordination Press Center of the Southern Defense Forces, Dmytro Pletenchuk, says that it is likely to be lost, but this information needs to be verified.
«The whole staff was probably impressed. They are very impressed now… We are verifying the rest of the information as of now. But of course, there is a possibility that the Black Sea Fleet in Crimea has lost its last cruise missile carrier».
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