What You Need to Know: The Black Sea has remained a key battleground in the Ukraine conflict, with significant Ukrainian successes against Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

-Recently, the Ukrainian Merchant Vessel (MV) Aya was hit by a Russian AS-4 KITCHEN anti-ship missile, likely fired by a Tu-22M3 BACKFIRE bomber, while transporting grain from Odesa.

-The missile strike caused damage but was not catastrophic. British Military Intelligence attributed the attack to poor Russian targeting. Ukraine has limited Russia's naval activities in the region, inflicting damage on Russian warships and vessels using long-range strikes and drones.

Ukrainian Merchant Vessel Hit by Russian Missile in Black Sea Tensions

While ground operations in Ukraine are raging hot, there is fighting on the seas as well.  

Since the opening days of the conflict, the Black Sea has been a major battleground, with the Ukrainian military landing significant successes over the Russian Navy’s Black Sea fleet.  

Now, almost 1,000 days after the conflict began, the struggle for control of the seas continues. 

Black Sea Action   

On September 11, the Ukrainian Merchant Vessel (MV) Aya left the port of Odesa for Egypt carrying approximately twenty-six thousand tons of grain. While it sailed south toward the Bosporus Strait that would lead out to the Black Sea, an incoming missile struck the Ukrainian merchant vessel. The missile caused substantial, but not catastrophic damage.  

“It is almost certain that the missile was an AS-4 KITCHEN anti-ship missile launched by a Tu-22M3 BACKFIRE Russian bomber that was operating in the area at the time,” the British Military Intelligence assessed in its latest estimate of the war.  

“It is a realistic possibility that a detonation failure avoided catastrophic damage,” the British Military Intelligence added.  

Before the war, Ukraine was one of the largest producers and exporters of grain in the world. The large-scale Russian invasion seriously frustrated Ukrainian grain production and exports, threatening many third-world countries with starvation.  

“It is unlikely that the MV Aya was the intended target for this mission and was likely struck due to poor targeting procedures from Russian pilots using an aging munition,” the British Military Intelligence stated.  

The Russian military has lost primacy in the Black Sea fleet but continues to target and attack targets of opportunity, including the famous Snake Island, with aircraft and warships. Moscow’s main objective seems to be the disruption of Ukrainian export activity, which would hurt Kyiv’s economy.  

“Following the loss of a [Tu-22M3] BACKFIRE in April this year, Russia has almost certainly been more way with their strike operations in the Black Sea. It is a realistic possibility this incident occurred due to pilots incorrectly identifying MV Aya as their target in haste, wanting to depart the area immediately after launch for fear of being targeted by a Ukrainian surface-to-air missile,” the British Military Intelligence added.  

Russian munitions haven’t performed very well in the war thus far. “Precision” isn’t a capability in the Russian munitions arsenal. More often than not, Russian munitions will hit an area close to their target rather than the target. The practice of the Russian military to use the wrong munitions only makes things worse. For example, due to serious munitions shortages, Russian aircraft have been known to deploy anti-ship missiles against ground targets in Ukraine. 

“The KITCHEN missile has consistently underperformed in the Ukrainian conflict. Launching a supersonic cruise missile on an incorrect heading against a likely erroneous target in international waters demonstrates extremely poor and irresponsible aviation practice,” the British Military Intelligence concluded.  

Despite not having any considerable naval force, the Ukrainian military has managed to limit the activities of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea through long-range and drone strikes. Ukrainian forces have sunk or damaged several Russian warships and logistics vessels. 

About the Author

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.

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