The Russian Navy tug Spasatel Vasily Bekh was operated by the Black Sea Fleet. It entered service in 2017. (Yoruk Isik)
The Ukrainian Navy claims that it has struck the Russian Navy Project 22870 salvage tugboat Spasatel Vasily Bekh ( SB 739) in a missile strike in the Black Sea.
In a statement on its official Twitter acount on 17 June, the Ukrainian Navy said the vessel was attacked while transporting personnel, weapons, and ammunition to the Zmiinyi (Snake) Island with a Tor surface-to-air missile system on board.
Based on the preliminary data available, 70% of the vessel's crew were affected and the fate of the rest is unknown, as Russian vessels attempted to conduct a search-and-rescue operation, the Southern Operational Command of Ukraine's Ground Forces stated on its Facebook page the same day.
A video circulating on social media platforms purportedly taken from an unmanned aerial vehicle shows a vessel being attacked by two missiles. The vessel under attack, however, could not be identified from the footage.
Neither the claims made by Ukraine, nor the veracity of the video, could be independently verified by Janes at the time of writing. Ukrainian officials have also not specified the missiles used to attack the vessel.
Built at Astrakhan Shipyard and commissioned in 2017, Spasatel Vasily Bekh has an overall length of 57 m and carries a crew of 27.
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