Based on Airbus satellite imagery provided by the UK Ministry of Defence, submarine researcher and author of the Hidden Shores series of books, H.I. Sutton, concluded that the "Rostov-on-Don" submarine was hit around the bow.

Sutton suggests that the Ukrainian missile pierced the main sturdy hull, designed to withstand the onboard pressure while underwater, and probably shattered the torpedo launcher, a facility for firing and storing torpedoes.