Ukrainian Forces hit Russian landing ship Konstantin Olshansky in Crimea
Ukrainian forces have struck the large landing ship Konstantin Olshansky, a vessel which was seized by Russians during the annexation of Crimea in 2014, with a Neptune anti-ship cruise missile, said the Ukrainian Navy spokesperson, Dmytro Pletenchuk, during a broadcast on FREEДOM.
Pletenchuk noted that for nine years the ship had been docked in a bay, gradually being stripped for parts by the Russians. He mentioned that the enemy realized their stocks of large landing ships of project 775 were depleting, so they restored it over the course of a year. However, the Russians intended to present the Konstantin Olshansky as one of their own ships, specifically either "Minsk" or "Olenegorsky Miner," both of which had previously been damaged by Ukrainian forces. "This ship was meant to be used against Ukraine. Therefore, the decision was made to strike this target with our 'Neptune,'" said Pletenchuk. He added that the extent of damage to the vessel is currently being assessed, indicating it has been hit and is not battle-ready.
In 2014, the Ukrainian large landing ship of project 775 "Konstantin Olshansky" was blockaded in Lake Donuzlav in Crimea. On March 24, about 200 Russian assault troops captured the vessel using grenades and automatic weapons. The ship was named in honor of the Soviet hero Konstantin Olshansky, who commanded a unit of paratroopers involved in driving Nazi occupiers out of Mykolaiv during World War II.
On March 24, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Ukrainian military forces had struck Russian landing ships Yamal and Azov in the temporarily occupied Sevastopol in Crimea on the evening of March 23. On March 25, Dmytro Pletenchuk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, reported that during the attack on Crimea they also managed to hit the reconnaissance ship of project 18280 Ivan Khurs.