Russia has begun construction of a new landing ship in the occupied Crimea. The Ukrainian Navy provided details on the progress of the project.
This was stated by the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, Dmytro Pletenchuk, during an interview on Espreso.
The construction of the largest universal landing ship 'Ivan Rogov,' which is taking place in the occupied Crimea, is not yet completed, and it remains unclear whether this ship will be put into operation.
According to Pletenchuk, Russia has not yet had official reasons to halt the construction since this is a project funded by budgetary funds that need to be spent. However, he noted that the ship is not yet a fully operational combat unit.
"It's just a shell, not a combat unit yet," Pletenchuk emphasized, noting that one should not expect the construction to be completed quickly.
The Russian side is attempting to carry out several military projects in the occupied Crimea.
Pletenchuk also mentioned that the Russians are likely trying to compensate for the loss of the Mistrals, ships of a type they did not receive from France.
However, whether they will be able to complete the construction of "Ivan Rogov" remains in question, as the project timeline could be significantly delayed.
Ukrainian military publication Defence Express published satellite images showing Russia's progress in building one of its two landing ships of the 23900 project, the "Ivan Rogov" type.
