How Ukraine, a country without a navy, destroyed 25+ Russian warships
Navies are at risk of becoming completely obsolete
The Russo-Ukrainian war has been going on for more than 2 years now with no clear end in sight. The borders have come to a standstill; the conflict on land is largely a stalemate. However, Ukraine has achieved a massive victory in the naval theatre.
You might wonder how this is possible if Ukraine doesn’t have a navy. During the 2014 Russian invasion of Crimea, Russia captured a vast majority of Ukrainian warships, leaving Ukraine virtually navy-less.
The Kremlin naturally thought of this as a significant advantage. At the beginning of the invasion, Russia had 74 surface vessels and 6 submarines. Many of these vessels were brought in specially for the invasion from other theatres (e.g. the Pacific and Arctic). This was important as Russia knew that the Turkish straits (the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles), which served as the only entry point into the Black Sea from the Aegean Sea, would be blocked by Turkey (a NATO member). Thus, Russia wanted to prepare a huge fleet from the get-go as they wouldn’t be able to reinforce it during the war. This naval fleet was led by the Moskva, a cruiser that served as the flagship of the Russian Black Sea navy.
The Ukrainian navy paled in comparison to the Russian Black Sea fleet. Ukraine only had a flagship (the frigate Hetman Sahaydachniy) and 4 small corvettes.
However, this didn’t matter, as Ukraine managed to sink more than 25 Russian warships. Apart from a few smaller boats, Ukraine only lost 1 of their corvettes (which was most likely decommissioned).
How did they do this? Using innovative tactics and modern technology!
Let’s take a look at the different weapons Ukraine has used to destroy Russian warships.
1. Anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs)
Yes, in the early days of the Russian invasion, Ukraine used anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) to destroy Russian warships. As the name suggests, anti-tank guided missiles are used to destroy tanks and other land-based heavily armoured vehicles. These can be shoulder-launched (operated by a single soldier) or tripod-mounted (operated by a squad of soldiers). In the Russo-Ukrainian war, the Ukrainian Skif ATGMs, the American FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missiles, the British NLAW ATGMs and the German Panzerfaust 3 disposable anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launchers have been used.
2. Tactical ballistic missiles
The Ukrainians have primarily used the OTR-21 Tochka-U missile, which is a Soviet-era tactical ballistic missile. Tactical ballistic missiles are used to destroy short-range (up to 120 km) targets on battlefields (e.g. ports, airbases, barracks and supply depots). This missile was introduced in military service by the Soviets in 1989 (an earlier variant called just the Tochka was introduced in 1975). The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reported that Ukraine had 500 OTR-21 Tochka-U missiles in 2022.
3. Anti-ship and cruise missiles
Anti-ship and cruise missiles have been one of the most important weapons employed by Ukraine to destroy the Russian Black Sea fleet. Ukraine’s arsenal of these missiles consists of American Harpoon missiles (in operation since 1977), Franco-British Storm Shadow missiles (in operation since 2003) and their own R-360 Neptune missiles (in operation since 2021). The Neptune missiles have been particularly useful; as they have been recently developed, they are the most technologically advanced. Their long range of 200-300 km also made them extremely critical in many Ukrainian operations.
4. Drones
Aerial and sea drones have played a crucial role in the Ukrainian attack on the Russian Black Sea fleet. Aerial drones are known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in military terms. Similarly, sea drones are known as Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs). The Ukrainians have used the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 UAVs (in operation since 2014) and their own MAGURA V5 USVs (in operation since 2023).
Now, let’s look at some of the heaviest naval losses the Russians have incurred in the Black Sea.
1. 5 patrol boats
On 22 March 2022, a video was posted on the internet of a Russian Raptor-class patrol boat getting destroyed by an ATGM. The boat was severely damaged and had to be towed away to the Russian Black Sea naval headquarters at Sevastopol. In the first week of May 2022, 4 more Russian patrol boats stationed near Snake Island (in Ukraine) were attacked by Ukraine using the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 UAVs. 3 were sunk and one had to be taken to Sevastopol for repairs.
2. The Saratov
The Saratov was a Tapir-class landing ship. It was stationed in the Port of Berdyansk, which the Russians had captured on 26 February 2022. Almost a month later on 24 March, the Ukrainians attacked the port using OTR-21 Tochka-U tactical ballistic missiles. The Saratov subsequently caught on fire and eventually sank. The Novocherkassk and Tsezar Kunikov landing ships were damaged and had to be taken back to Sevastopol, after which they were made operational again. However, this was short-lived, as the Novocherkassk was sunk in 2023 and the Tsezar Kunikov was destroyed in 2024.
3. The Moskva
The sinking of the Moskva was the biggest triumph for Ukraine and the most devastating loss for Russia in the Black Sea naval theatre. The Moskva was a guided missile cruiser, arguably the second most important type of warship (only behind the aircraft carrier). Guided missile cruisers are used to achieve air and sea superiority (also known as command of the sea), which can decide the outcome of battles and wars. The Moskva was critical in the Russian takeover of Snake Island on 24 February 2022. Ukraine wanted to regain control of Snake Island, and they believed sinking the Moskva would be integral in doing so.
As this was in the early stages of the war, Ukraine didn’t have much experience in sinking Russian warships, especially not guided missile cruisers such as the Moskva. The Ukrainians decided to gamble with their Neptune missiles. On 3 April, the Ukrainians had damaged the Russian frigate Admiral Essen using their Neptune missiles, so it wasn’t a complete gamble. Still, the whole operation was a big risk.
On 13 April, two Neptune missiles were fired at the Moskva, which was moving 150 km south of the Ukrainian port city of Odesa. The ship caught on fire and some ammunition on board exploded. A few hours later, it sank.
This was a huge victory as Ukraine had sunk a moving target. Thus, they could now sink/damage stationary and moving targets.
The Moskva was the largest warship the Russians had lost since World War 2. The Ukrainians enjoyed their victory so much that they declared the wreckage of the Moskva to be an underwater cultural heritage site!
Snake Island would be recaptured by the Ukrainians shortly after.
4. The Rostov-on-Don and the Minsk
On 13 September 2023, Ukraine launched an air-raid on Sevastopol with Storm Shadow missiles. The Kilo-class submarine Rostov-on-Don and the landing ship Minsk were greatly damaged by the attack. The Kremlin has declared that they would repair the ships, but they remain inoperative to this day.
5. The Ivanovets
The sinking of the Tarantul-class corvette Ivanovets is one of the most recent Ukrainian “naval” victories in the Black Sea. On 1 February 2024, Ukraine released a video which showed them sinking the Ivanovets stationed in Lake Donuzlav (west of Crimea) using their MAGURA V5 USVs.
Aftermath
In recent land battles, Ukraine has regained a lot of their south-western coastline, including the port city of Odesa. Thus, the deadly combination of their long-range Neptune missiles and ability to launch UAVs and USVs off of their coastline has given Ukraine the power to strike the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea navy—Sevastopol (which they have done multiple times now). The western Black Sea is under Ukraine’s control and Russia knows this.
Thus, Russia has shifted the headquarters of their Black Sea navy from Sevastopol to Novorossiysk, which is a port in Russia proper. Although Russia has not announced this formally, the shifting of Russia’s remaining warships from Sevastopol to Novorossiysk makes it the de facto headquarters of the Black Sea navy. But, they may not be done yet. Local leaders in Abkhazia (a Russian-occupied territory in Georgia which they captured in 2008) have revealed plans showing that Russia wants to relocate their Black Sea navy headquarters to the port of Ochamchire in Abkhazia.
There are many advantages for The Kremlin to relocate to Ochamchire. Ochamchire has a larger natural harbour than Novorossiysk (allowing more ships to be stored there). Moreover, Russia would be able to launch attacks into Ukraine from Georgia, which the Ukrainians can do very little about as Abkhazia is out of the range of their missiles and drones.
However, this decision could have a much larger motive. Georgia has been building a deep sea port on the Black Sea called Anaklia, which can potentially serve as a key checkpoint between oil and gas from Asia (from countries like Azerbaijan) and Europe. This plan to make a new route for the transfer of energy from Asia to Europe is known as the “Middle Corridor”. Russia likely wants to undermine the construction of this port to maintain the flow of Asian oil and gas through Russian territory (which is the case today as part of the “Northern Corridor”).
Conclusion
The destruction of more than 25 Russian warships in the Black Sea by a country virtually without a navy begs the question: is having a navy useless?
Well, the Russo-Ukrainian war would point to yes. Here are the unit costs of some of the weapons used by Ukraine ($USD):
FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missile: $240,000 for export
OTR-21 Tochka-U tactical ballistic missile: $300,000
Harpoon anti-ship missile: ~$1.4 million
Storm Shadow cruise missile: $2.5 million
Bayraktar TB2 UAV: ~$2 million
MAGURA V5 USV: $273,000
Some of these might seem very expensive, but compared to warships, it’s peanuts.
Here are the unit costs of some of the warships mentioned ($USD, adjusted for inflation):
Raptor-class patrol boat: $2.1 million
Ivan Gren-class landing ship (the next version of Tapir-class ships like the Saratov): $160 million
Ropucha-class landing ship (the Novocherkassk, the Tsezar Kunikov and the Minsk): $675 million
The Moskva: $750 million
The Rostov-on-Don: $300 million
The Ivanovets: $60-70 million
As you can see, the weapons employed by Ukraine are an extremely cost-effective way to sink/destroy warships costing up to hundreds of millions. This data would suggest that having a navy in 2024 is useless. But, I think that’s not necessarily the case.
I think the most important ship, the aircraft carrier, still holds immense value. Aircraft carriers are essential in achieving air superiority during amphibious invasions. An aircraft carrier can be sent to faraway theatres of war, where it can launch fighters and bombers to carry out airstrikes on the battlefield. Submarines can be sent to the middle of oceans to destroy warships. Other warships like cruisers and battleships can be used to block chokepoints (e.g. what Turkey has done with the Turkish straits to prohibit more Russian warships from entering the Black Sea). If naval vessels are fitted with accurate anti-missile and anti-drone systems, a lot of this damage can be avoided, and navies can function normally. But, these systems can be expensive. Take the example of India. The Indian navy is planning on installing anti-drone systems in warships like the INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant. This has cost them about USD 60 million.
However, I think the usage of cheap missiles and drones to effectively destroy warships has changed war forever. Amphibious landings are going to be a lot more difficult now, as landing ships and warships supporting the landing ships can be destroyed cheaply, effectively and quickly (unless fitted with expensive protective systems).
It would be interesting to see the impact of this tactic on the likely imminent Chinese invasion of Taiwan. The USA can supply Taiwan with some of their UAVs and USVs. If Taiwan employs a similar strategy to Ukraine, can they prevent the Chinese from ever stepping foot on Taiwanese soil?
I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m certain that war will never be the same.