Haunting images of burnt Russian submarine leaked

First photos of the burned-out Russian diesel submarine at the dry dock in occupied Crimea have been leaked to the public by a Western media outlet.

The Russian Rostov-on-Don Project 636.3 submarine and large landing ship, named the Minsk, were damaged in the pre-dawn barrage on the Sevastopol shipyard – potentially the largest strike against Russian naval targets of the war.

According to the state-run Ria Novosti news agency, the Russian defense ministry said both vessels had minimal damage following the Ukrainian attack and will continue in normal service.

- ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW -

But leaked pics showed the destroyed Russian submarine with massive hull breaches and signs of internal burning.

Ukraine has strongly implied western-supplied cruise missiles were used in the attack, one of the biggest on the Black Sea fleet since the war started.

Readers who wish to follow our weekly coverage can subscribe to the Weekly Defense Roundup.

If you wish to report a grammatical or factual error in this article, please let us know by using the online form.

Executive Editor

Support The Defence Blog

Independent reporting takes resources. Join us on Patreon.

Become a patron

More Like This

Russian officials accused of stealing $6M from naval base project

Russian investigators have opened criminal cases alleging officials and contractors stole approximately 500 million rubles ($6.4 million) earmarked for constructing naval infrastructure at the...

Ukraine’s top defense adviser lists nine critical gaps in the country’s military tech

Serhii Beskrestnov, known by his call sign "Flash" and serving as an adviser to Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, published a public assessment that catalogs...

Ukraine says Japanese parts are in 90% of Russia’s missiles and drones

Ukrainian Presidential Adviser Denys Brasheuk told Kyodo News in an exclusive interview that Japanese-manufactured components have been identified in approximately 90 percent of the...

Poland signs $4.8B deal for three Saab A26 submarines

Poland signed a $4.83 billion contract with Sweden's Saab on June 29, 2026, for three A26 Blekinge-class submarines under its long-running Orka program, completing...

Seoul protests China-Russia aircraft entering its air defense zone

South Korean Air Force fighters scrambled on June 27, 2026, after nearly 10 Chinese and Russian military aircraft successively entered and exited the Korea...