The explosion caused critical damage, effectively putting the submarine out of action.
A Varshavyanka-class submarine is valued at approximately $400 million.
The submarine carried four launchers for Kalibr cruise missiles, which Russia uses to strike targets across Ukraine.
The strike was a joint operation by the SBU’s 13th Main Directorate of Military Counterintelligence and the Ukrainian Navy.
Due to international sanctions, building a similar submarine today could cost up to $500 million. This class is also known as the “Black Hole” because its hull absorbs sound and remains difficult to detect by sonar.
The damaged submarine had been forced to stay in the port of Novorossiysk following successful operations by Sea Baby surface naval drones, which pushed Russian ships and submarines out of Sevastopol Bay in occupied Crimea.
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