Rescuer
The Fog of War, Part 3: The Ukrainians obliterated a rescue tugboat with a pair of American Harpoon missiles. But that's okay - our super reliable media says it was carrying weapons.
Спасатель Василий Бех (Spasatel Vasiliy Bekh)
The second ship claimed sunk by the Ukrainians near Snake Island, this time using two American Harpoon missiles, was a Project 22870 rescue tug named the Spasatel Vasiliy Bekh.
Spasatel (спасатель) means rescuer, so the tug’s name was Rescuer Vasiliy Bekh. One of six in service with the Russian Navy, it was launched in 2016 and was a modern and well-equipped ship.
The Project 22870 rescue tugs are built to tow damaged ships (and can even re-float sunken ships), aid damaged ships by extinguishing fires, evacuate crew and provide medical aid, even supply electricity. They’re also equipped to perform dive operations, including cutting and welding, as well as cleanup of oil spills, and, finally, perform underwater survey work. They’re packed full of very expensive, very useful equipment.
Reports on the sinking
Sources (including the Russians) agree the ship was sunk after being struck by two American supplied Harpoon anti-ship missiles. This is very believable - with a 500 lb warhead, a single Harpoon should be more than sufficient to sink a ship this size. Ukraine recently received two Harpoon coastal defense systems, which carry four missiles each, so the use of two of them is a significant expenditure of valuable munitions.
An article in the NZ Herald captured a screenshot of the Ukrainian government announcing the sinking via Twitter on 17 June:
The Ukrainian Navy claimed on Friday that it struck a Russian boat carrying air defence systems to a strategic island in the Black Sea.
In a statement on social media, the Navy said the Vasily Bekh was used to transport ammunition, weapons and personnel to Snake Island, which is vital for protecting sea lanes out of the key port of Odesa. It did not say how much damage it inflicted with the strike. (NZ Herald1)
The air-defense system in question is a Tor-M2KM. We’ll look into that system before addressing the use of the tug as a troop transport. (This report says “systems” - plural - but it’s not clear even one would fit.)
Lugging a Tor around the Black Sea
The sinking was reported by many news sources, and the article in The Times UK provides us one example (among many) of journalists who have better things to do than study military hardware:
Spasatel Vasiliy Bekh, a Russian naval tugboat, was delivering weapons and personnel to Snake Island when it was struck last Friday. The vessel had a Tor-M2MK [sic] anti-aircraft missile system on board but it was not clear if it was being transported to the Russian-controlled island or whether it was acting as an air defence for the tug. (The Times UK2)
The Tor missiles system is a short range air defense system for use against helicopters, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles. The standard system is mounted on a tracked, armored vehicle chassis and weighs around 34 tons total.
The Tor-M2KM is a 15 ton module containing just the missile system, and is intended for mounting in a fixed location. In June the Russians tested one after mounting it on the helicopter pad of the Vasily Bykov, a Project 22160 patrol ship.
According to information published by Военный Осведомитель on June 7, 2022, new pictures have been released of the Russian Project 22160 patrol ship Vasily Bykov has been published showing the installation of the Tor-M2KM system. (Navy Recognition3 - their mangled grammar, not mine)
The 1,300 ton patrol ship (up to 1,700 tons fully loaded) weighs slightly more than the tug but is almost twice as long. Mounting the system on the helipad means, of course, that the helicopter can’t be used.
Based on this report, at the very least the Russians were testing this idea in early June (possibly earlier, of course - we only know what they disclose), but there are no comparable images of a Tor mounted on one of the tugs. Here’s a view of just the stern of the patrol ship:
Now compare to the stern of the tug:
The space is much smaller, and contains a lot of equipment - it’s hard to tell if the Tor missile system will fit. And with a Tor-M2KM mounted on the back it’s no longer usable as a tug.
Was the tug just delivering the system to Snake Island? This is very unlikely given the system weighs 15 tons, while the crane on the tug is only rated for 8 tons. And there are no dock cranes on Snake Island - there’s barely a dock at all. (As we’ll see later, the Russians have been using other means to deliver air defense systems to Snake Island.)
So although it’s possible the tug was carrying a Tor-M2KM system, it was not trying to deliver the system to Snake Island. And if the system were being carried for self defense, it’s hard to see how the tug could carry much else.
The Project 22870 Rescue Tug: Very useful little ships
Information on the Russian navy in English is hard to come by. According to a Russian website that documents the Black Sea Fleet:
The ship is intended for towing ships in distress, fire fighting on crafts, vessels, floating and shore facilities, water pumping and electricity supply to emergency vessels, evacuation and medical treatment of rescued people, diving works at depth down to 60 m, rescue and inspection operations as well as petroleum product recovery. (https://www.kchf.ru/eng/)
With only six of the Project 22870 tugs built so far (and one under construction), that same site lists three more in the Black Sea fleet as part of the 314th Rescue Ship Squad (based in Novorossiysk).
Specifications for the Project 22870 rescue tugs are also difficult to find, but here’s some info4 from the English language version of a Russian website. In addition to towing equipment, these tugs also carry:
Auxiliary diesel generator (216 kW)
Emergency diesel generator (112 kW)
Hot water boiler-incinerator (2 units, 232 kW each)
Drop-type rafts (6, capacity 25 people each)
Hydraulic cargo crane (capacity 8 tons)
Swivel crane-beam (capacity 1/4 ton)
Two-compartment pressure chamber
Diving compressors (3)
Diving beam crane (capacity 1/4 ton)
Remote-controlled unmanned underwater vehicle (1)
Diving equipment (12 sets)
Equipment for underwater welding and cutting
Underwater photography equipment
Booms (total length 560 m)
Boom-laying boat
Skimmer
Oil collection tanks (capacity 125 cubic meters)
High-speed rescue boat (capacity 6 people)
Device for lifting people from the water
Fire-fighting pumps (3 units, 1,000 cubic meters per hour)
Fire-fighting foam tank (capacity 10 cubic meters)
They are packed full of useful things - and crew trained to use them. The only open space is the aft deck, which is rated to hold up to 60 cold, wet sailors who have just been plucked out of the water.
Testing the Tor-M2KM on a ship
The Ukrainian claim, that the ship was carrying a Tor air defense system, has been repeated many times by western media. Here’s an example from The Drive:
There are also reports from Ukraine that the Vasily Bekh was carrying a Tor-M2 series surface-to-air missile (SAM) system on board; these systems have been appearing with increasing regularity on Russian warships operating in the Black Sea and especially around Snake Island, as well as being deployed on the island itself. (The Drive, 17 June5)
The statement about “appearing with increasing regularity” is backed up with a link to another article on the same site, but the only current use on a ship mentioned is the Vasily Bykov, and the article is discussing the same test disclosed by the Russians in early June. (The article calls the Vasily Bykov a corvette, while the Russian Navy classifies Project 22160 as patrol ships.)
The Drive went from telling us this on 7 June:
Images emerging on social media show a Russian Vasily Bykov class corvette (Project 22160 class) fitted with a ground-based Tor surface-to-air missile system on its flight deck.
While it isn’t the first time Russia has tinkered with placing ground-based SAM systems onto its ships… (The Drive, 7 June6)
To this just ten days later:
…these systems have been appearing with increasing regularity on Russian warships… (The Drive, 17 June)
Apparently it only took ten days to go from “tinkering” with the idea, to it being used with “increasing regularity.” And by the way, these ships have been active around Snake Island, yet somehow none of them have been hit by missiles.
The Project 22160 corvettes are very active in the region, with four being based there as part of the Black Sea Fleet. In fact, there have been rampant rumors that Ukraine had struck examples of these ships before, but they turned out to be inaccurate. (The Drive, 7 June)
But the Ukrainians did manage to blast the s*** out of Thomas the Tugboat.
Is it reasonable to think the valuable but slow (14 knots at full speed) tug was carrying an air defense system, and delivering troops, supplies and ammunition to a tiny slab of rock in the Black Sea?
Lots of other options
The Russian navy has several types of boats stationed in the Black Sea for landing men and equipment on shore. Here are some of the various boats that have actually been used to transport troops and equipment to Snake Island.
Project 11770 (Serna Class) Air-cavity Fast Landing Craft (est. 3 available in the Black Sea)
Specifically designed to land troops and heavy equipment on shore, these high speed (30 knot) ships are each capable of carrying a main battle tank or up to 92 troops. Something like a Tor missile system is well within their capacity - in fact the Russians used these to deliver several air defense systems to Snake Island.
Project 02510 (BK-16) High-Speed Landing Craft (est. 3)
Designed to transport troops and light weapons, the Project 02510 craft have a top speed of 42 knots and a range of 400 nautical miles. Able to carry up to 19 troops, they are typically armed with machine guns and grenade launchers. With an armored compartment and a bow ramp for disembarking, these ships are designed to deliver troops under fire.
Project 03160 (Raptor Class) Anti-Saboteur Boat (est. 11)
Due to their close similarity with the Project 02510 landing craft, the two types are often mistaken for each other.
These are called “Anti-Saboteur” boats because one of the uses is to guard other navy ships in harbor from attack by divers or small craft. They’re also used for patrolling coastal waters, search and rescue, or transport of troops. They have armored windows and armored panels in the hull to protect the crew and occupants. With a range of 300 nautical miles and a top speed of 48 knots these are very fast boats.
Project 22160 Patrol Ship
Instead of the three small boats they’ve been using, if the Russians wanted a larger ship they could send one of the Project 22160 patrol ships that the Ukrainians have tried and failed to sink repeatedly. Let’s go back and look again at the stern of one of these ships:
There’s already a launching area at the back of the ship, and it comes with its own combat boat. Why would the Russians use the tug instead of one of these patrol ships? They’re twice as fast, armed, have air defense systems, and are designed to work with small boats like the one shown.
And yet more options
If, for some reason, none of the above mentioned options available, here’s a list of other ships in the Black Sea fleet that could be used instead of the brand-new, specialized rescue tug:
Ten missiles corvettes (with air defenses)
Six anti-submarine corvettes (with air defenses)
Six large landing ships (some with air defenses)
Four salvage tugs (similar to Project 22870 but slightly older)
Five other seagoing tugs
What was the tug really doing?
Back in April the Ukrainians claimed to have sunk the Moskva using two of their own Neptune missiles (see my previous article on this). The exact location where it sank is currently unknown (to us, probably not to the Russians). The last satellite image of the damaged ship showed it at about 45°10′43″N and 30°55′31″E.
The ship sank a few hours later while being towed toward the Russian naval base at Sevastopol, which is east and slightly south of that location. The location of the Spasatel Vasiliy Bekh when it was hit by Harpoon missiles was 45°12′14″N and 30°36′54″E. Here are those two locations on the map:
The two points are about 15 miles apart, and the tug was along the path the Moskva was being towed. Stricken ships are towed at very low speed, so several hours after the satellite image was taken, the tug’s location is about where we would expect the wreck of the Moskva to be.
Have the Russians been conducting salvage operations on the Moskva? Yes, according to the chief of Ukrainian intelligence. Here’s a quote from him:
"From 5 to 7 ships were involved. Most of them were rescue ships, boats, [and] tug boats, which retrieved the bodies, removed all the equipment that was classified, and cleaned up this cruiser - retrieved what was left there, and what should not fall into the hands of a third country." (Yahoo News7)
It’s not even relevant if he’s wrong - maybe the Russians were conducting salvage work on the ship, or maybe the Ukrainians just thought they were. Either way, the Ukrainians chose to fire on a ship in the same area - then claimed it was carrying troops and weapons.
The most reasonable interpretation
The Ukrainians sank a rescue tug in the area east of Snake Island. They claim it was carrying an air defense system as well as troops and supplies to the island. This is a ridiculous claim - which is obvious after just a little bit of research. The tug is very valuable but completely unsuited for delivering troops and supplies to the island. There are many other boats equipped for the task and known to be operating in the same area.
What was the Rescuer Vasiliy Bekh doing there? Based on available information, the logical conclusion is that the ship was engaged in diving and salvage operations on the sunken Moskva. It was in the right location, it’s the right ship for the task, and we’ve been told the Russians were conducting such work on the wreck.
But instead the Ukrainians claim the tug was carrying an air defense system, shortly after testing of that same system was reported on a patrol ship. They also claim the tug was carrying troops and supplies to Snake Island, despite it being one of the worst possible choices among the available options.
It’s much more likely the Ukrainians spotted it with one of their TB2 drones, and either not bothering to confirm it was unarmed, or just not caring, they wasted two valuable coastal defense missiles (out of a very tiny number given to them by the U.S.) to sink a ship with no military capability.
They then claimed the tug was carrying troops and weapons to justify the sinking - and in fact turn it into a propaganda victory.
The saddest part is this: all it took to spread this story uncritically through all of western mainstream media was a few tweets. Welcome to the new fog of war - a fog created by the media as much as by the war itself.
A small note
Some may feel that I criticize the Ukrainians quite a lot, but the Russians very little. What I’m really criticizing is journalists.
Russian news is blocked in a lot of the west, so we mostly get the Ukrainian version of events. This version is reported uncritically, and by people who have no knowledge of the subject they’re covering.
As a result, even the worst propaganda from one side gets widely distributed in western media - providing me with much grist for my mill. If we ever start getting unfiltered reports from the Russians, and they’re full of propaganda, those reports will be ground under the millstone as well.
NZ Herald article with Twitter screenshots:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/russia-ukraine-war-ukrainian-navy-says-it-has-struck-russian-boat-in-black-sea/JW3HYYSZSJVK2ECLDSSH33XMSI/
Times UK article about the sinking of the Spasatel Vasiliy Bekh:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ukraine-sinks-russian-ship-with-western-weapons-zr8bzmbgw
Tor missile system tested on patrol boat:
https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/naval-news/naval-news-archive/2022/june/11806-russian-patrol-ship-vasily-bykov-equiped-with-tor-m2km-system.html
https://farbitis.ru/en/continents/otechestvennoe-oruzhie-i-voennaya-tehnika-vmf-rossii-popolnitsya/
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/ukraine-claims-harpoon-missile-attack-on-russian-navy-ship
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/russian-black-sea-warship-now-equipped-with-ground-based-sam-system
https://news.yahoo.com/ukrainian-chief-intelligence-directorate-russians-104042276.html
Yet another entry terrific analysis. Much appreciated, keep it up.
Now *this* is journalism, complete with facts and research to back up claims. Thank you for confirming that western media is a dumpster fire.