Crimea Satellite Photos Show Russia's 'Minsk' Landing Ship Stripped Down

New satellite images show that Russia's Minsk Ropucha-class landing ship has been dismantled, weeks after it was struck in a Ukrainian cruise missile attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the port of Sevastopol, in annexed Crimea.

The Minsk and the Rostov-on-Don Kilo-class attack submarine were hit by a cruise missile and drone strike on the Sevastopol shipyard on September 13 as they were undergoing dry-dock repairs or maintenance. Kyiv said the attacks were part of preparatory measures before it attempts to liberate Crimea.

Satellite images shared by OSINT researcher MT Anderson on X, formerly known as Twitter, show that Russian authorities have since stripped down the Minsk, providing further evidence that it has been damaged beyond repair.

"BLACK SEA FLEET - SEVASTOPOL 0.3M [photo] from 31 Oct 2023. Ultra high res look at the dry docks around Sevastopol. The stripped down Minsk (127) has left the dry dock and is tied up just north of there. Rostov-on-Don (KILO) is still in the dry dock," the analyst wrote on Thursday.

Newsweek has contacted Russia's defense ministry via email for comment.

Strikes in Crimea, Russia's central logistics hub for its forces in southern Ukraine, have become routine in recent months, with attacks focusing on military targets in a push to weaken Moscow's defenses and disrupt Russia from transporting equipment, weapons and troops from mainland Russia into the peninsula.

Experts close to Ukraine's defense ministry previously told Newsweek that Kyiv is embarking on a strategy to "demilitarize" the Black Sea Fleet as part of steps toward eventually liberating Crimea, which was annexed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014.

Amid the string of attacks, Russia appears to be moving the fleet away from the port of Sevastopol in Crimea, satellite images published last month showed.

Retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, a former commanding general of United States Army Europe, told Newsweek last month that Ukraine is conducting a "multi-domain" offensive to liberate the peninsula, which involves striking the Kerch Strait Bridge linking Crimea to Russia's mainland.

"This is all part of making Crimea untenable, unusable for the Russian military, until the Ukrainians have enough combat power where they can actually liberate the peninsula," Hodges said.

This week, unverified footage circulated online that appeared to show one of Russia's anti-submarine vessels in its Black Sea Fleet shrouded in smoke. If the vessel's damage is confirmed, it would serve as another blow to Putin's navy in the peninsula.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Russia is "gradually losing control" over the Black Sea and that it is "retreating to the eastern part of the water area."

Do you have a tip on a world news story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about the Russia-Ukraine war? Let us know via worldnews@newsweek.com.