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Russian BSF’s Novocherkassk landing ship (L) in occupied Crimea before its sinking, and the memorial featuring the names of Russian sailors, eliminated during the attack on Novocherkassk. Collage: Militarnyi
A newly unveiled memorial in Novocherkassk, southern Russia, has revealed that 34 Russian sailors were killed in the December 2023 Ukrainian missile strike on the Novocherkassk large landing ship. The navy vessel, part of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, was destroyed while docked in the port of Feodosia, occupied Crimea.
The Novocherkassk, originally intended for naval landing operations, had been repurposed to transport cargo, a shift reflecting changes in the Russian military’s operational capabilities. It was the fifth large amphibious landing ship of the Russian Navy destroyed by Ukrainian forces in the Black Sea since the start of the all-out war. In the ongoing Black Sea battle, Ukraine destroyed a significant portion of Russia’s fleet, forcing Moscow’s navy to relocate the remaining ship from occupied Sevastopol to more remote ports of Russia proper. The ports like Novorossiysk are outside the range of Ukrainian missiles and at the edge of the maritime drone range.
Memorial plaques bearing the names of Russian sailors killed aboard the Novocherkassk in December 2023, occupied Crimea. Photo credit: t.me/Politnavigator, via Militarnyi.
The Ukrainian Air Force had targeted the Novocherkassk overnight of 26 December 2023 with cruise missiles. At the time of the strike, the ship was carrying explosive cargo, likely ammunition, which detonated after the impact. The resulting fire and powerful explosion led to the complete destruction of the vessel.
In October 2024, Russian forces began salvaging the remains of the ship from the seabed near Feodosia. Photos shared on the Russian Aviabaza forum showed the stern of the ship being raised as part of the recovery process.
Salvaging the stern of the Novocherkassk in Crimea, October 2024. Photo credit: “Aviabaza” forum, via Militarnyi.
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Ukrainian raids on Russia's military targets in ocupied Crimea on 4 January likely degraded Russian air protections there, underscoring issues defending critical locations even after enhancing defenses, per UK intelligence.
