''Azov'' (BDK-54) is a of the Russian Navy and part of the

Black Sea Fleet Chernomorskiy flot , image = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet , dates = May 13, ...

. Named after the

Sea of Azov The Sea of Azov ( Crimean Tatar: ''Azaq deñizi''; russian: Азовское море, Azovskoye more; uk, Азовське море, Azovs'ke more) is a sea in Eastern Europe connected to the Black Sea by the narrow (about ) Strait of Ker ...

, the ship was built in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

and launched in 1989.

History

Russian invasion of Ukraine

In 2021, it was reported that ''Azov'' was a part of Russia's

Black Sea Fleet Chernomorskiy flot , image = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet , dates = May 13, ...

, stationed in

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...

, participating in amphibious warfare training. In June 2022, ''Azov'' was among the Black Sea Fleet vessels reported to be operational and available for amphibious landings in the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, ...

by Russian sources. On 24 March 2024, the Ukrainian general staff and open-source intelligence sources reported that ''Azov'' and her sister ship were hit by

cruise missile A cruise missile is a guided missile used against terrestrial or naval targets that remains in the atmosphere and flies the major portion of its flight path at approximately constant speed. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhea ...

s while they were in their home

port of Sevastopol 200px Sevastopol Marine Trade Port (SMTP) is a port in Sevastopol. It is located mainly at the Bay of Sevastopol, and at smaller bays around the Heracles peninsula. The port infrastructure is fully integrated with the city of Sevastopol and nava ...

. Eyewitnesses reported explosions during the night. Recent satellite images did not reveal any damage, showing that the missile hit the pier next to the ship presumably due to the electronic warfare system.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Azov Ropucha-class landing ships 1989 ships Ships built in Poland Ships of the Russian Navy Ships of the Soviet Navy Amphibious warfare vessels of the Soviet Navy Amphibious warfare vessels of the Russian Navy Ships involved in the Russian invasion of Ukraine Maritime incidents in 2024 March 2024 in Russia