Its Air Defenses Are Ineffective, Russian Navy Ships Hit For The First Time By Ukrainian Harpoon Missiles In The Black Sea

Danish Harpoon missile illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Marinens Bibliotek Arkiv)

JAKARTA - Ukraine's military said its troops attacked a Russian Navy tugboat with two harpoon missiles in the Black Sea, marking the first time a Moscow warship has been attacked with Western-supplied anti-ship weapons.

The tug, identified as Vasiliy Bekh by the governor of the Odesa Region, has transported troops, weapons, and ammunition to the Russian-occupied Zmiinyi (Snake) Island in the Black Sea, the Ukrainian Navy said.

The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for written comment.

"During the full-scale war in the Black Sea, (anti-ship missiles) were used twice, first the Neptune (made in Ukraine), and today, June 17th, the Harpoon. Both uses were successful. At the same time, the air defense of Russian ships proved to be completely ineffective", said the Armed Forces' Directorate of Strategic Communications, reported to Reuters on June 17.

The Ukrainian military published a video of what it said were two Harpoon missiles hitting the ship on the Telegram app. Reuters was unable to independently verify the footage.

The Harpoon missile is one of a wide range of foreign weaponry sent by Western allies to Ukraine, to help it fend off Russia's February 24 invasion.

Ukraine's defense minister said last month that Ukraine had started receiving Harpoon missiles from Denmark, shipments he said were the result of cooperation between several countries.

The Harpoon anti-ship missile uses active radar homing and flies right over the water to evade defenses. It can be launched from ships, submarines, aircraft, or coastal defense batteries.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Naval Command said the Russian tug had the TOR anti-air missile system.

Russia's Black Sea Fleet dominates the Black Sea and Moscow has used its naval supremacy to impose a naval blockade on Ukrainian ports, hampering exports of important grains.

Meanwhile, Snake Island is located about 140 km south of Odesa, Ukraine's main port center for exporting grain via the Black Sea. The waters along the coastline are now heavily mined.