Russian naval tug hit off the Snake Island

Russian naval tug SB-739 "Spasatel Vasily Bekh". Photo: Bosphorus Naval News

According to Ukrainian state information, the Russian naval tug SB-739 "Spasatel Vasily Bekh" (project 22870, 1,200 tonnes) was hit and set on fire by Ukrainian missiles on the night of Friday, 17 June 2022. The ship is said to have been transporting personnel, weapons and ammunition to the occupied Snake Island. Enemy units were said to be busy rescuing survivors. It is quite conceivable that Ukraine's comments on the "demilitarisation" of the tugboat referred to the sunk naval flagship "Moskva". If the sinking of the SB-739 is confirmed, analysts assume that it is now the fourteenth unit to have been lost due to Ukrainian interference.

Project 22870

The "Spasatel Vasily Bekh", which was only transferred to the Black Sea Fleet in 2017, is one of a batch of four modern tugs built in Astrakan in the Volga Delta on the Caspian Sea. She was last pictured in the Bosporus at the beginning of January, towing the "Aleksandrit"-class minehunter newbuilding "Georgiy Kurbatov" (project 12700) through the strait.

Russian naval tug SB-739 "Spasatel Vasily Bekh". Photo: Bosphorus Naval News