Ukraine possible used U.S.-supplied missile to sink Russian submarine, say British officers
Ukrainian forces probably used the U.S.-supplied Army Tactical Missile System last week in the sinking of the Rostov-on-Don, a Russian Kilo-class attack submarine that was part of the Black Sea Fleet, British officials said.
Saturday’s hit was part of a series of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian targets in the Black Sea area. Despite lacking a serviceable fleet, Kyiv has successfully wielded missiles, uncrewed aerial vehicles and sea-launched drones to damage or destroy several high-profile Russian naval targets.
On Wednesday, U.K. military officials said they don’t believe the Rostov-on-Don was fully repaired after a previous Ukrainian strike on occupied Crimea in September.
“This latest attack is almost certainly the final chapter for the submarine, with it highly likely being more economically viable to build a replacement than recover and repair it,” British defense ministry officials said on X in their latest assessment of the Ukraine battlefield.
A morale boost for Ukrainian forces, the ATACMS strike on the Rostov-on-Don could dent Russian long-range maritime attacks into Ukraine.
“The strike does highlight the increasing risks to Russian forces in Crimea and will highly likely force Russia to reconsider any plans to relocate any significant maritime force back to the peninsula,” British officials said on X.
