ISW: Ukraine strikes Russian Black Sea Fleet's main shipyard

Ukrainian forces conducted successful strikes on Russian marine and port infrastructure at the Zalyv Shipyard in Kerch on the evening of November 4.

Satellite imagery from November 4 shows that the strike damaged a Project 22800 Karakurt-class Kalibr missile carrier corvette at the shipyard, although the extent of the damage to the ship is currently unclear, Caliber.Az reports citing the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). 

The Zalyv shipyard reportedly planned to construct 14 warships intended for the Black Sea Fleet (BSF) between 2016 and 2021, including eight Project 22800 Karakurt-class corvettes.

ISW has only confirmed that three Project 228000 Karakurt-class corvettes have launched from the Zalyv shipyard as of 2023, however. The Zalyv shipyard is the largest shipyard in Eastern Europe and is likely the main repair facility for the BSF in Crimea following a successful Ukraine strike on the Russian state-owned ship repair facility Sevmorzavod in Sevastopol on September 13, 2023. 

The extent of damage to the repair facilities at the Zalyv Shipyard is unclear, although the available satellite imagery suggests that the Ukrainian strike has likely not caused damage that will disrupt its operations in the medium-to-long term. 

ISW assesses that Ukrainian forces have conducted an interdiction campaign against Russian military infrastructure in occupied Crimea, primarily BSF assets, since June 2023 to degrade the Russian military's ability to use Crimea as a staging and rear area for Russian operations in southern Ukraine.

Key Takeaways:

• Ukrainian forces conducted a successful strike on a Russian shipyard in Kerch, likely damaging a naval vessel.
• Ukrainian forces continued offensive operations near Bakhmut and made confirmed gains in western Zaporizhzhya Oblast and on the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast on November 5.
• Russian forces conducted offensive operations along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line, near Bakhmut, near Avdiivka.