Ukraine announced the destruction of Russia's largest landing ship near Novorossiysk. What makes it special?
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that on September 9, they managed to hit fuel oil storage facilities in Novorossiysk (Krasnodar Krai, Russia), as well as at least three ships, including the landing ship "Pyotr Morgunov". What makes it special, writes the Ukrainian service of the BBC.
Russian large landing ship Project 11711 "Pyotr Morgunov". Ukraine claims to have struck it on September 9 in Novorossiysk Bay. Photo: Press service of the Yantar Shipyard
The naval base in Novorossiysk was attacked by Ukrainian drones and missiles on the night of September 9; fuel oil and grain terminals in the port also came under attack. For the attack, the AFU used, in particular, Neptune cruise missiles and long-range FP-1 UAVs.
Russian authorities stated that as a result of the strike, 4 residents of Novorossiysk died and dozens of civilian objects were affected. According to city mayor Andrey Kravchenko, a school and an Orthodox church were damaged.
Satellite images of damaged ships in Novorossiysk Bay after the Ukrainian attack on the night of September 9. Photo: Exilenova+
According to the General Staff of the AFU, the attack on Novorossiysk led to the defeat of at least three Russian ships: the small sea minesweeper "Zheleznyakov", the frigate "Admiral Essen", and the large landing ship Project 11711 "Pyotr Morgunov".
OSINT analysts, after analyzing satellite images, partially confirmed this information.
In particular, the Ukrainian project "Exilenova+" notes that satellite images show the consequences of the "Admiral Essen" ship's defeat. Traces of fire are visible on its deck superstructure. This vessel is a carrier of Kalibr cruise missiles and has already been hit by Ukrainian drones. The last such strike was on August 12.
"Exilenova+" also published images showing the defeat of two more Kalibr carriers – the small missile boat "Buyan-M" and the frigate "Admiral Makarov". The latter had also been attacked by Ukrainian UAVs previously.
What is known about "Pyotr Morgunov"
Regarding the attack on the large landing ship "Pyotr Morgunov", it had not previously been hit by Ukrainian drones or missiles. For a long time, OSINT analysts could not even pinpoint where exactly in the Black Sea the Russians managed to "hide" it. It could not be found either in Sevastopol Bay or at the naval base in Novorossiysk.
"Pyotr Morgunov" is the newest ship, launched in 2018 and formally assigned to the Russian Northern Fleet. It entered the Black Sea in January 2022, a month before the full-scale invasion. At that time, the Russians were assembling a group of their landing ships here, almost doubling their number from 7 to 13.
Not a single ship was used for its direct purpose – attempts to approach the Ukrainian coast to land troops were unsuccessful. However, due to the closure of the Bosphorus for military vessels, Russia's large landing ships found themselves "locked" in the Black Sea and became targets for Ukrainian missiles, UAVs, and uncrewed surface vessels.
Thus, since 2022, following strikes by the AFU, four large landing ships ("Minsk", "Saratov", "Novocherkassk", and "Tsesar Kunikov") have sunk, and at least three more ("Olenegorsky Gornyak", "Nikolai Filchenkov", and "Yamal") have been damaged.
"Pyotr Morgunov" is the largest military ship Russia has in the Black Sea. Photo: Flot.com
"Pyotr Morgunov" is the most modern and most powerful of all large landing ships (BDK) of the Russian fleet. It was laid down in 2015 as the first serial ship of Project 11711. It was commissioned into the fleet in December 2020.
It was envisioned that Russia would be able to build at least two more such vessels in the coming years. Project 11711 ships are designed for amphibious landings, transportation of military equipment, and gear.
"Pyotr Morgunov" has a cruising range of up to 4,000 nautical miles, allowing it to perform tasks in the far sea zone. It is the largest Russian Navy landing ship with a full displacement of up to 6,600 tons, a hull length of 135 meters, and a width of 16.5 meters. Such a ship can carry up to 13 tanks or 36 armored personnel carriers and up to 300 marines.