UK intelligence discusses impact of Ivanovets' destruction on the Russian Navy

The UK intelligence community has analysed the impact of the destruction of the Russian corvette Ivanovets, for which Ukraine's Defence Intelligence claimed responsibility, on the Black Sea fleet of the Russian Federation.

Source: European Pravda; Intelligence review by the UK Defence Ministry. 

"It is highly likely to have an impact on the Black Sea Fleet's command and control elements, probably forcing them to re-evaluate their manoeuvrability near western Crimea," the service points out.

The UK Defence Ministry described a video from open sources where surface drones can be seen successfully striking the ship, adding that this created a large hole which "almost certainly resulted in the ship sinking".

Describing the vessel's characteristics, UK intelligence explained that its complex communication system allows it to send and receive guidance data to and from other ships, helicopters and long-range patrol aircraft.

Analysts noted that Ukraine's latest success underscores the continued vulnerability of Russian warships in the Black Sea.

"However, the Russian Navy is almost certainly still able to conduct its three main tasks in the Black Sea: long-range strikes, patrols and support duties," the review says.

Background:

• Previously, Kyrylo Budanov, Ukrainian Defence Intelligence chief, stated that the Russian corvette Ivanovets sank on the night of 1 February in the roadstead of Lake Donuzlav as a result of six direct hits by Ukrainian uncrewed surface drones.
• On Thursday, Ukrainian Defence Intelligence reported that on the night of 31 January to 1 February 2024, soldiers of the Special Forces Group 13 of Ukrainian Defence Intelligence destroyed an Ivanovets corvette of the Russian Federation’s Black Sea Fleet. 
• The loss of the Ivanovets corvette is significant for Russians since the Russian Black Sea fleet has only three such boats. 
• In a previous review, UK intelligence stated that the Russian Federation would have to reduce its contributions to its National Wealth Fund, which is increasingly used to finance the war in Ukraine, due to the discrepancy between planned budget revenues and expenditures.

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