Russian ship Pavel Derzhavin damaged near Sevastopol: the Navy made a statement

The Pavel Derzhavin ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet was damaged at sea near the temporarily occupied Sevastopol (Crimea). It is speculated that it could have hit a mine, but the real cause is unknown.

The fact of the damage to the Russian vessel was confirmed by the spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy, Captain Dmytro Pletenchuk, in a comment to Radio Svoboda. At the same time, he emphasized that he could not provide all the details of the incident with the Russian vessel.

According to him, the Pavel Derzhavin in question belongs to the Russians, although the Ukrainian Navy used to have a ship of the same name. He only confirmed that the occupiers' vessel had been damaged, but did not specify how.

"I cannot provide you with any information about the circumstances of this incident. But it is a fact," Pletenchuk said.

The day before, Crimean Telegram channels reported that a large patrol ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Pavel Derzhavin (Project 22160 of the Vasily Bykiv type), exploded on the outer roadstead of Sevastopol for unknown reasons.

Crimean Wind, citing subscribers' data, wrote that residents of the city heard the sound of an explosion around 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 11.

It was assumed that the ship could have been hit by a Russian naval mine. Similar information was provided by the head of the public council at the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Serhiy Bratchuk. However, he did not provide any details.

On Wednesday afternoon, a monitoring group spotted a ship and a boat in the sea near Sevastopol. The first one was about 60 meters long, so it could most likely be a minesweeper.

"If so, it's too late to sweep the mines," the report emphasized.

Natalia Humeniuk, a spokeswoman for the Press Center of Security and Defense Forces of the South of Ukraine, said that the Armed Forces were clarifying the veracity of the data on the damage to the Russian ship, but also added that "anything can happen."

The Russian Defense Ministry did not comment on the damage to its ship.

As reported by OBOZ.UA, guerrillas from the ATESH movement published illustrative photos of the occupiers being afraid to move military boats across the sea in Crimea. The invaders transported the vessels from the port of Feodosia by road.

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