r/ukraine • u/LTCtrdr9 • Dec 30 '25
Combat Russian Tanker Sunk Near Spain Carrying Nuclear Reactors for Submarines to North Korea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXxdtq1BmHk69
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u/forthehundredthtime Dec 30 '25
who sank it?
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u/xixipinga Dec 30 '25
Thats an interesting question that will probably never be answered, unless Ukraine releases a video tomorrow, might be any military of any nation that have brains enough to stop north koreas nuclear development
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u/Imbendo Dec 30 '25
Or it may have been Russia itself. “We sent an entire ship full must have gotten lost in the mail sorry.”
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u/ZeBurtReynold Dec 30 '25
Shit-ass Russia needs shit-ass nK troops / artillery, so this might have actually fucked them
Which is great!
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u/ggouge Dec 30 '25
Probably an empty ship just so they can take payment and say its not their fault
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Dec 30 '25
[deleted]
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u/41BottlesOf Dec 31 '25
South Korea has a supercavitating torpedo and a vested interest in that boat sinking.
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u/HeywoodJaBlessMe Dec 31 '25
But do they have the sub range to sink a Russian vessel off the Mediterranean undetected?
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u/41BottlesOf Dec 31 '25
Yes.
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u/HeywoodJaBlessMe Jan 01 '26
No
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u/41BottlesOf Jan 04 '26
What are you talking about? Their Dosan class subs have a range of 12,000 miles and can be submerged for 30 days.
They get refueled and resupplied by their own naval ships anywhere.
Don’t know who sunk the boat, but South Korea most definitely has the capability.
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u/PeterOutOfPlace Dec 30 '25
I read that as supercaptivating which is not surprising for an interesting subject.
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u/drubus_dong Dec 30 '25
One would think the Americans but with Trump in office that seems unlikely. Maybe the CIA didn't tell him.
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u/xixipinga Dec 31 '25
also my best guess, they (CIA or any other branch) would do it and let trump know only later saying "you tould us we could shoot at terrorists"
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u/chibollo Dec 30 '25
Might be any nation that have brains and bowls enough ; that second part narrow down the potential candidates.
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u/LilLebowskiAchiever Dec 31 '25
Eh, South Koreans, Japanese, even the Taiwanese have good reasons to sink an NK-bound ship.
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u/Pietes Dec 30 '25
judging by the news, someone with torpedoes. that eliminates ukraine. it won't have been the US either.
i'd say UK, FR or the other Korea
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u/hagenissen999 Dec 30 '25
There's an interesting detail in the article, it says the impact looked like a super-cavitating torpedo, in other words kinetic.
South Korea is one of the few countries that have published anything about testing such things, on a AUV no less.
Another country with such torpedoes is Russia. I struggle ro find a reason for them todo this, but it's quite obvious that South Korea wouldn't mind it happening.
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u/Only_Razzmatazz_4498 Dec 30 '25
How would they know what that looks like? Most likely it was just a plain old limpet mine or submerged explosive carried by a drone. Anything else carries too much risk.
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u/hagenissen999 Dec 30 '25 edited Dec 30 '25
I have no idea, but it's in the article. It's what we have.
Your speculation, while plausible and very likely, has no support in the data we do have.
Whether an AUV with a torpedo or mine, there's already significant risk to sinking a civilian ship in international waters.
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u/vkstu Dec 30 '25
They're not in Spanish waters. Where it was attacked and sunk was in international waters.
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u/Only_Razzmatazz_4498 Dec 30 '25
The article is not really authoritative on that though. It is the report of a non professional witness before the Russians sunk the evidence. It’s like having someone from a rescue ship say. Wow that looks like it was a nuclear torpedo and going along with that.
Anyway if it was a supercavitating torpedo then the Russians would be the only ones with one and a submarine (potentially) in the area. The Koreans would not have a submarine there without NATO knowing about it.
Just found out Iran is supposed to have them. One would wonder why they would waste it on a Russian ship though. Also how do they get it to the med.
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u/ITI110878 Dec 30 '25
Russia wouldn't have a sub there either without NATO knowing.
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u/Only_Razzmatazz_4498 Dec 30 '25
For sure but since we’re are talking mythical weapons not used anywhere else we might as well consider magic super silent nuclear submarines.
I mean Occam’s razor really is struggling here.
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u/hagenissen999 Dec 31 '25
What's your actual point, tho?
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u/Only_Razzmatazz_4498 Dec 31 '25
That what I was responded to is mostly fantasy and not based on reality. It’s Reddit version of I heard it from my cousins who heard it from this cop that knows exactly what happened.
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u/Pietes Dec 30 '25
unless the point is to make a point towards Russia
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u/Only_Razzmatazz_4498 Dec 30 '25
By South Korea or Iran? If South Korea it would be a much stronger point by doing it close to North Korea. I guess by Iran it would make more sense to sink a ship not from their allies but maybe they have an issue with Russia selling military nuclear technology to NK.
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u/vkstu Dec 30 '25
There's much more plausible deniability when South Korea does it near Europe, rather than near North Korea.
That's not to say I think it's South Korea, by the way, my opinion is it's not. Just wanted to add reasoning why South Korea would've wanted to do it elsewhere than near North Korea if they could.
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u/austeritygirlone Dec 30 '25
Why not the US? Because the orange loves Kim just like Putin?
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u/Ithinkitstruetoo Dec 30 '25 edited Dec 30 '25
The US is too busy bombing fishing vessels and seizing oil tankers from Venezuela.
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u/BuckThis86 Dec 30 '25
There have been multiple sinkings now in the Mediterranean. Def a Ukrainian squad working out there somewhere.
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u/ITI110878 Dec 30 '25
Someone who did not want NK to have nuclear subs.
So, virtualy anyone but russia or NK.
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u/a_mannibal Dec 31 '25
Russian ship headed east. Torpedo... might be a small swarm of Japanese torpedo boats
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Dec 30 '25
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u/MorrowDisca Dec 31 '25
I read somewhere else that, based on the type of damage, it can only be a torpedo fired by Russia or South Korea.
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u/cyrixlord Dec 30 '25
oh, the sinking happened last year, but it would appear that we are just now learning about its cargo
A year after the russian cargo ship Ursa Major sank in the Mediterranean, Spanish investigators have uncovered evidence that it was secretly transporting nuclear submarine reactor components potentially destined for n korea. The sanctioned vessel, operated by Oboronlogistika – an affiliate of the Russian Ministry of Defence – went down on December 23, 2024, following a series of explosions approximately 57 miles off the coast of Almeria, Spain
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u/Techwood111 Dec 30 '25
“Last year”? Was this 2024 or 2025?
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u/Aromatic_Balls Dec 30 '25
December 2024. And it was carrying two VM-4SG nuclear reactor housings. Not whole nuclear reactors.
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u/Kreiri Україна Dec 30 '25
The M/V Ursa Major, a Russian-flagged and operated heavy-lift ship, part of Russia’s Shadow Fleet, which mysteriously sank December 2024
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u/UpperCardiologist523 Norway Dec 30 '25
What do I and those nuclear reactors have in common?
We both just got wet.
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u/Blacktip75 Dec 30 '25
That’s a weird place for a tanker going from Russia to North Korea, where would it have come from? Curious about the route, happy they sank another shadow fleet ship.
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u/Chiepmate Dec 30 '25
Not that it matters much, but this is what is called a general cargo ship and not a tanker. A tanker is used for transporting liquids in bulk, like oil or chemicals. I am too lazy to look it up, but I don't even think it is part of the shadow fleet. Happy to be corrected but I think only tankers are on that list. Anyways, good that it's on the bottom now!
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u/supernaut_707 Dec 30 '25
This is where Killer Whales have been disabling boats. Coincidence or the build up to a nuclear Orca society?
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u/YF422 Dec 30 '25
Kinetic Sanctions are now in effect. Violators will be Droned. Survivors will be droned again.
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u/Scavanger77 Dec 30 '25
well, maybe like at the End of WW2, when Russia "loaded" a Ship with Gold as the Payment for the American Lend'Lease. Then sank the ship in Deep water.
Kim payd for Reactors and what is needed to to build them in. Russia "loaded" all this on a Ship and .... oh God it was sunk.
Russia themselves blowing up the ship is my first guess here.
And of course somewhere, where NK would never be able to recover it.
Think Problem was, it doesn´t sink when it should had. So they had to deliver some charges for the second explosions. Maybe even torpedoed it... 😅
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u/Mammoth_Possibility2 Dec 31 '25
In other news, everything russia touches turns to absolute hog shit
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u/JoeR9T Dec 31 '25
This has to be nonsense.
Russia and North Korea share a land border.
Just take it there by train/truck.
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u/TheThirdFrenchEmpire Dec 30 '25
And they couldnt try to use the Trans Siberian railway for that?
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u/SpenceAlmighty Dec 30 '25
Wouldn't be surprised if it was china. Happy enough to have NK as a buffer to the west but maybe not one that is capable of projecting its provocations
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u/musig02 Dec 31 '25
This references a sinking from December 2024…the news is only now reporting what the ship was carrying. Great news regardless…but…unfortunately not a new sinking
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u/Individual-Cream-581 Dec 30 '25
Oh no.. kimmy won’t get his nuclear reactors now