Ukraine's strike on a brand-new missile carrier could force Russian shipbuilders further away from the war, UK intel says

• Ukraine's strike on a Crimean shipyard poses a problem for Russia's fleet, UK intel said Monday.
• Ukraine said the Askold, a brand-new cruise missile carrier, was badly damaged in the attack.

A Ukrainian strike on a brand-new Russian cruise missile carrier in Crimea is likely to push Russia to consider moving its shipbuilding capacities further away from the front line, the UK's Ministry of Defence said in an intelligence update on Tuesday.

Saturday's strike at the Zaliv shipyard was "farther to the east in Crimea than most previous Ukrainian-claimed long-range strikes," the UK MOD said.

And the strike will likely nudge some Russian capacities further away, it added.

"Ukraine's capability to hit Crimean shipbuilding infrastructure will likely cause Russia to consider relocating farther from the front line, delaying the delivery of new vessels," it said.

On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated his armed forces for the attack on the shipyard, which is about four miles south of Crimea's Kerch Bridge.

A spokesperson for Ukraine's air force, Yuriy Ihnat, named the damaged ship as the Askold, one of Russia's most advanced corvettes.

The Askold is a Karakurst-class corvette — or small missile ship — that can carry up to eight Kalibr cruise missiles.

The ship had yet to fire a single shot in action, Ihnat said.

Russia's Ministry of Defence acknowledged damage to one of its ships from a missile barrage, without giving further details.

A Ukrainian air force commander hinted that it was struck by a French-supplied SCALP missile, also known as a Storm Shadow missile.

According to the UK MOD, the Askold had not yet joined the Black Sea Fleet, but per a Russian site that closely follows its developments, it had been poised to do so this year.

The UK MOD's comments suggest that the impact of the attack is likely to go beyond the Askold's own fighting capacity.

Moving shipbuilding activities would be a distinct problem for Russia's navy.

It has already moved a large number of vessels from Sevastopol, the most advanced port at its disposal, following a Ukrainian strike in September that dealt massive damage to a submarine and a landing craft.

As of last month, much of the Black Sea Fleet was scattered to ports such as Novorossiysk and Fedosia, which have less advanced facilities and are much further away from the waters Russia aims to project power over.

Experts have told Insider that as damages rack up, it could put a strain on Russia's ability to repair and maintain its fleet. And due to an international treaty enforced by Turkey, Russia cannot simply bring additional existing ships into the Black Sea.

Ukraine's attacks on Crimea are designed to make Russia's continued occupation of the peninsula "untenable," Ben Hodges, a former commander of US Army Europe, previously told Insider's Jake Epstein.