The damage to the Olenegorsky Gornyak landing ship is a "significant blow" to the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation, most of whose units were previously relocated to Novorossiysk due to the high threat of attacks on Sevastopol, according to British intelligence.

"During the night of 3-4 August 2023, the Russian Navy landing ship Olenegorsky Gornyak almost certainly suffered serious damage after being struck while near the Black Sea Fleet's (BSF) Novorossiysk base," reads a summary published on Twitter by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense on Saturday morning.

As noted, images of the vessel listing at 30-40 degrees suggest that several watertight compartments were breached, or that the crew's damage control efforts were ineffectual.

"Routinely assigned to Russia's Northern Fleet, the vessel has augmented the BSF since Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has often ferried military and civilian traffic between Russia and occupied Crimea when the Kerch Bridge has been disrupted due to attacks," British intelligence said.

"The 3600 tonne, 113 metre long Olenegorsky Gornyak represents the largest Russian naval vessel seriously damaged or destroyed since the sinking of the cruiser Moskva on 13 April 2022. This is a significant blow to the BSF, which previously relocated most of its units to Novorossiysk due to the high threat to Sevastopol," British intelligence analysts said.