Russian Admiral Makarov frigate’s starboard side likely damaged, says OSINT analyst
Satellite images of the frigate Admiral Makarov after the attack in Sevastopol (Photo:Benjamin Pittet/twitter.com)
The Admiral Makarov, a frigate of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, has been moored in a port near Sevastopol in occupied Crimea and has likely suffered damage to its starboard side, OSINT analyst Benjamin Pittet wrote on Twitter on Nov. 2.
“Satellite images taken yesterday at 05:35 and 11:06 UTC show the two Admiral Grigorovich class frigates currently deployed in the Black Sea moored in port,” he tweeted.
Several experts assume that one of these frigates is the Admiral Makarov, the current flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, while the other one is the Admiral Essen.
According to experts, the Admiral Makarov is moored with its starboard side parallel to the dock so that damage can not only be repaired but also hidden from view.
The Russian occupation authorities in Ukraine’s Crimea announced on Oct.29 there had been an attack by drones in the waters of Sevastopol Bay.
The Russian Defense Ministry accused Ukraine and the United Kingdom of being behind the attack. The Russians claimed that they had allegedly “destroyed all air targets.”
The Russians maintained that “the attack by the Ukrainian military” took place “under the guidance of British specialists who are in Ochakiv (a town in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv Oblast, about 200 kilometers to the north-west of Sevastopol).”
There is no evidence that the Russian claims are true.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said that, in addition to the warship the Ivan Golubets, “minor damage” was caused to a protective barrier in the south bay.
Ukraine’s South Operational Command in turn said that the explosions in Sevastopol could have been caused by unsuccessful launches of air defense missiles.
However, video began circulating on social media shortly after the attack apparently showing possibly six or eight sea surface drones in the area of Sevastopol bay, apparently attacking Russian ships there.
In one of these videos, a helicopter can be seen attacking a sea drone, firing at it with a machine gun and apparently dropping explosive charges nearby.
In another video taken from the shore of what appears to be the same incident, a helicopter can be seen attacking something in the sea, after which there is an explosion on the water.
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