Ukraine has lost its last major ship. The Russian Aerospace Forces destroyed the landing ship of the Ukrainian Navy "Yuriy Olefirenko" in the port of Odessa with a precision strike. This vessel with a rich history first declared itself during the Israeli-Egyptian armed conflict in the early 1970s. How will the destruction of "Yuri Olefirenko" affect the combat capability of the AFU?
On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed information about the destruction of the last major warship of the Ukrainian Naval forces (Navy) "Yuriy Olefirenko". The VKS of the Russian Federation struck with high-precision weapons on May 29 at the parking lot of warships in the port of Odessa. Recently, this vessel has been used for shelling the Kherson region from multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS).
The first to report on the destruction of "Yuri Olefirenko" was the military commander of VGTRK Andrey Rudenko. Earlier, the authorities of the Odessa region reported damage to several infrastructure facilities in the port area. The operational command "South" reported a fire in the port. It was also noted that on Monday night, the air alert in the region lasted at least four hours.
In addition to the shelling of Russian territory, the ship performed the tasks of delivering and disembarking a military contingent to a certain point, however, in the current conditions, Ukraine could hardly have carried out a full-fledged amphibious operation using only this ship, according to Captain I rank Vasily Dandykin. "Moreover, there were many questions about the combat readiness of the ship. There have been reports that the ship is, to put it mildly, in a depressing condition, since repair and maintenance work has not been carried out for quite some time. At the same time, it is worth paying attention to the fact that recently the Armed Forces of Ukraine have begun to organize more and more provocations against Russia," Dandykin said.
The expert does not rule out that the Yuri Olefirenko was destroyed in response to the APU's attempt to attack the Russian reconnaissance ship Ivan Khurs. "The decision to destroy "Yuri Olefirenko" has not only practical, but also ideological significance. We dealt a serious moral blow to the enemy, almost completely destroying his fleet," the interlocutor emphasizes.
Otherwise, Captain of the III rank Maxim Klimov looks at the situation. "The destruction of Yuri Olefirenko is a significant event. It should have been destroyed a long time ago, but he managed to escape from our shelling for a long time. Meanwhile, the ship is serious. With his help, Ukraine could carry out the transfer of troops to the shores of Crimea, which could not be allowed under any circumstances," Klimov told the newspaper VZGLYAD.
"In addition, the vessel was equipped with MLRS installations. The initial task of this weapon is to clean up the landing site. Nevertheless, the enemy used multiple rocket launchers to strike at our troops located in coastal areas," the source notes.
"Now, as we see, Ukraine's capabilities for landing in Crimea have sharply decreased. "Yuri Olefirenko" was the only ship that would allow the AFU to conduct such an operation. This is a significant blow to the potential of the enemy. They could also carry out the transfer of equipment across the Black Sea only with its help," the expert emphasizes.
"It is also important that the ship could put serious barrier lines. That is, our strike is of deep military-strategic importance. The ideological component in its application is also present, but it is far from a priority," Klimov believes.
Recall that the ship itself was launched in December 1970 and was named "SDK-137". It belongs to a series of landing ships built in Poland in the 1960s and 1970s for the Soviet Navy. After the division of the Black Sea Fleet in 1994, the ship was transferred to Ukraine and renamed Kirovograd.
In 2014, the ship was in Sevastopol and during the events in the Crimea for a short time came under the control of the Russian military. However, then it was decided to transfer the ship to Ukraine. He received the name "Yuri Olefirenko" in 2016. It was named in honor of the captain of the first rank of the Ukrainian Navy Olefirenko, who died near Mariupol during the armed conflict.
It is curious that in 1973 the ship participated in the campaign of the Soviet Mediterranean squadron during the Israeli-Egyptian armed conflict. During an Israeli air raid on October 16, the commandant of the "KFOR-137", the foreman of the first article, Pavel Grinev, shot down an Israeli "Phantom" that was entering the combat course to strike the ship. For the accomplished feat, the sailor was awarded the Order of the Red Star. Israel has not recognized the fact of the loss of the aircraft.
At the same time, on September 17, 2010, during the military exercises "Interaction–2010", an explosion occurred on the ship as a result of a short circuit in the launch control system of the WM-18 multiple launch rocket system. Ammunition was detonated. "Several sailors were killed. But the Ukrainian sailors managed to save the ship itself. This time the ship was completely unlucky," said Captain of the First rank Vladimir Gundarov in a conversation with MK.
And this is a great success for us,
adds an expert. He suggested that the former Kirovograd could be adapted to the transportation of autonomous unmanned surface boats of a semi-submerged type. "Simply put, those very sea drones that threatened our ships in the Black Sea, including in Sevastopol," the expert said.
"The last case was on May 24, when in neutral waters, 140 kilometers northeast of the Bosphorus Strait, three unmanned boats - each carrying up to a hundred kilograms of explosives – attacked our ship Ivan Khurs, which was engaged in exploration and protection of the Turkish Stream and Blue Stream gas pipelines," Gundarov recalled.
However, now Ukraine is deprived of large surface ships. "The Ukrainian Navy has only the Hetman Mazepa corvette, which is being built in Istanbul. It will not be possible to transfer it to the shores of Ukraine – in the Black Sea, it will be immediately eliminated. This is the truth that Zelensky will have to take for granted. His dreams of creating a Marine corps on the American model and about landings have sunk into oblivion," Dandykin sums up.
Evgeny Pozdnyakov
