Ukraine war - Attack on Crimea: Ukraine says it destroyed Russian warship
The Ukrainian air force has reportedly destroyed a warship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, which is annexed by Moscow. The target of the attack was the port of the Crimean city of Feodossiya, where an important Russian naval base is located. On Tuesday, the Ukrainian air force announced on the online service Telegram that the landing ship "Novocherkassk" of the Russian Black Sea Fleet had been attacked with cruise missiles "in the Feodosiya region".
The ship, which was presumably carrying Iranian drones that Russia is using against Ukraine, was destroyed. The commander of the Ukrainian air force, Mykola Oleshchuk, shared a video that allegedly shows an explosion at the Feodosiya naval base.
Russia confirms Ukraine's attack
The Russian governor of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, confirmed a "hostile attack" in the region. "The port area is cordoned off," he wrote on Telegram. There had been an explosion there and a fire that had broken out had been brought under control. The Russian Ministry of Defense, on the other hand, spoke of "damage" to the warship.
The "Novocherkassk" had been the target of a Ukrainian air strike, the ministry said in Moscow on Tuesday, according to the Russian state news agency Tass. There was no further information on the damage from the Russian side. However, according to information from Moscow, the Russian air defense destroyed two Ukrainian fighter jets that had attacked the ship.
The two Sukhoi Su-24 aircraft that were shot down belonged to the tactical air squadrons of the Ukrainian air force and fired guided missiles, the ministry in Moscow added. Ukraine had provided information about the deployment of the tactical forces. However, there was no information from Kiev regarding the destruction of the fighter jets.
One dead, two injured
According to Russian reports, one person was killed in the attack on Crimea. Two other people were injured, Governor Aksyonov further explained via Telegram. Six buildings were damaged in the attack and the residents were evacuated. The transport infrastructure was functioning "normally".
Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014 in breach of international law, is a frequent target of Ukrainian attacks. The peninsula serves as an important point in Russia's war against Ukraine - Moscow's troops in the south of the attacked country are supplied from there. From the Black Sea, Russia is attacking Ukraine with drones and missiles from warships.
The leadership in Kiev has announced that it will liberate Crimea from Russian occupation. Ukraine has repeatedly hit Russian warships hard in attacks. In April 2022, it sank the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the "Moskva", thereby humiliating Russia.
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Source: www.stern.de
