Review and Database of Ukrainian Attacks on the Occupied Crimea, Russian Ships and Facilities on the Black Sea Coast in January 2024

The Monitoring Group of BlackSeaNews and the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies

The monitoring group of the BlackSeaNews and Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies, based on the results of our own monitoring, presents a database of attacks by Ukrainian drones and missiles on the territory of occupied Crimea, Russian ships and facilities on the Black Sea coast in January 2024*.

*Note that:
1) the actual number may be much higher;
2) the reliability of Russian data on the attack results is always deliberately downplayed.
Abbreviations: UAV — unmanned aerial vehicle, USV – unmanned surface vehicle, MORF – Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

In January 2024, i.e. 31 days, the Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out at least 12 attacks on targets in the occupied Crimean peninsula, and the Russian Black Sea Fleet, including:

• Sevastopol – at least 6 attacks or 50%;
• Yevpatoria, Saky, Chornomorsk and Rozdolne districts (Western Crimea) – at least 4, or 33%;
• Black Sea coast of the Russian Federation – at least 2, or 17%.

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Attacks by Ukrainian drones and missiles on the territory of occupied Crimea, Russian ships and Black Sea coastal objects in January 2024 (monitoring by the BSISS/BSN Monitoring Group):

1. 02.01.2024 - likely, a missile strike on the Belbek airfield, Sevastopol (to be verified). According to the Fruktove and Verkhniosadove villages residents in the Belbek airfield area, around midnight, several powerful explosions occurred, accompanied by flashes and fire at the airfield. In the afternoon, the Sevastopol occupation authorities reported «downing a missile over the Black Sea.»

2. 04.01.2024 — a combined missile and drone strike on Novofedorivka, Chervona Hirka area, Saky district, Yevpatoria. On 04.01.2024, the siting of missiles and a series of explosions in the western areas of the TOT of the AR of Crimea were reported by local residents. The missiles allegedly hit an air defense unit near the village of Uyutnoe, Saky district. After 22.00, there were additional reports on UAV attacks by residents of Saki, Yevpatoria, Dzhankoy, Novofedorivka and Vilino. The Armed Forces of Ukraine have officially confirmed the destruction of ammunition depots near the villages of Pervomaiske and Grishino, and air defense positions at the Saki airfield.

3. 04.01.2024 - a Storm Shadow/SCALP missile strike on Sevastopol. As a result, the command post of the 31st Air Defense Division of the Southern Military District in Sevastopol in Yukharina Balka has been destroyed.
   According to available information, the missile(s) hit the entrance to the buried command center, collapsing the underground tunnels, and likely causing the structure to be unusable. The strike killed several dozen Russian soldiers, including officers (to be verified). The death of Colonel Vadim Ismagilov, commander of the 3rd Radio Regiment of the 4th Army of the VKS and Air Defense of the Russian Armed Forces, was confirmed, with burial taking place on January 11, 2024 in Chelyabinsk, Russia. The Russian Defense Ministry reported the loss of 23 servicemen.

4. 04.01.2024 - An attack by an unidentified UAV in Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai, RF, (information to be verified).
   Late in the evening, local residents reported the sounds of Russian air defense and the fall of debris near house # 5 on Boris Pupko Street, near the Novorossiysk Bay. MORF reported the downing of an unidentified UAV over the Krasnodar region.

5. 05.01.2024 - A combined missile and drone strike at Black Sea waters, Sevastopol (information to be verified). MORF reported that at about 12.30, a Neptune and 5 unspecified type UAVs were destroyed over the northwestern part of the Black Sea.

6. 06.01.2024 - A missile strike with the Neptune surface-to-air missile system — Black Sea, Yevpatoria and Novofedorivka village, Yevpatoria district, TOT of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. At night, local residents reported a series of explosions and air defense activity in the Yevpatoria area and Novofedorivka. According to official sources in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Ukrainian Air Force hit the command center of the 43rd Fighter Aviation Regiment at the Saki airfield in Novofedorivka. The Russian Defense Ministry reported repelling two missile attacks totaling up to 16 missiles. 

7. 14.01.2024 - The destruction of an A-50 airborne surveillance aircraft, and damage to an Il-22 repeater aircraft, likely with a Patriot air defense system — the airspace of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions — near Strilkove and over the Sea of Azov, adjacent Kyrylivka, respectively. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed the aircraft destruction.

8. 21.01.2024 - Attempted missile attack (to be verified). on the Krasnohvardiyskiy district, Sevastopol, TOT of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. According to local residents, around noon, air defense activity was recorded in Krasnogvardeyskiy and Saky districts — up to 11 launches and explosions in total. MORF reported the downing of 3 unspecified type missiles over the Black Sea and of at least one object near Sevastopol. 

9. 24.01.2024 - A UAV attack — Black Sea, Tuapse, Krasnodar Territory, Russia. According to the available data, around midnight, up to 3 UAVs, likely of the Beaver type, were spotted near the Tuapse, several of which hit a local oil refinery, causing a fire on an about 200 square meters area. For reference: The Tuapse Refinery is the only refinery located on the Black Sea coast, one of the ten largest in Russia and processes up to 12 million tons of raw materials annually. It operates primarily for export and is part of Rosneft.

10. 30.01.2024 - A combined missile and drone strike on Razdolnensky district, TOT AR of Crimea, that resulted in the destruction of a radar station covering the surface situation for the Russian Armed Forces.

11. 30.01.2024 - A UAV attack on the Belbek airfield, Sevastopol. On January 30, local residents reported air defense activity and the sound of explosions in the Belbek airfield area. In turn, MORF reported the destruction of 11 unidentified UAVs.

12. 31.01.2024 - A missile — Storm Shadow type — attack on Hvardiyske village, Sevastopol, TOT AR Crimea. Two missiles reportedly hit the control center, with one missile hitting the communication center of the 38th Fighter Aviation Regiment (military unit 80159, Belbek airfield). According to Russian sources, three aircraft — two Su-27s and one Su-30 — and 10-12 servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces were destroyed at the Belbek airfield (to be verified). Near Hvardiyske, the missiles hit a special forces unit training camp, reportedly killing 9 soldiers, wounding up to 10, and destroying several pieces of special equipment (to be verified).

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For reference: From January to December 2023, i.e., over 365 days, the Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out at least 184 attacks on targets in Crimean peninsula and Russian Black Sea Fleet, averaging one every other day.
Among those:

• Sevastopol – at least 45 attacks, or 25%
• BSF ships at sea – at least 26 attacks, or 12%
• Yevpatoria, Saky, Chornomorsk and Rozdolnensky districts (Western Crimea) – at least 33 attacks, or 18%
• Dzhankoy region - at least 21 attacks, or 11,5%
• Feodosia region – at least 15 attacks, or 6,5%
• Kerch Bridge – at least 4 attacks.

Full database of attacks by Ukrainian drones and missiles on the territory of occupied Crimea and Russian ships in the Black Sea in January-December 2023 can be found here.

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This article has been prepared with the support of the European Union in Ukraine. The content of the article is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the position of the EU