Ukraine says it launched airstrikes that smashed a Russian ship docked in Crimea on Tuesday in a major blow against the Kremlin’s weakened Black Sea fleet.
The Novocherkassk, a Russian navy landing ship, was hit overnight in the southeastern Crimean port of Feodosia, Ukrainian air force officials said.
Moscow’s state-run RIA Novosti news agency said two Ukrainian Su-24 bombers launched the missiles at the Novorcherkassk. Russian claims that its air defense system destroyed the Ukrainian aircraft could not be confirmed.
“The fleet in Russia is getting smaller and smaller, thanks to the air force pilots and everyone involved,” Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk, Ukraine’s air commander, said on Telegram. He urged Russian occupiers to leave Ukraine “before it’s too late.”
Russian security forces have surrounded the central district of Feodosia and have increased checkpoints in the region following the latest Ukrainian attack, according to the National Resistance Center of Ukraine.
“The occupiers are looking for informants who they believe are monitoring the port, and are also trying to prevent leaks about the extent of damage to the port’s infrastructure,” Ukrainian resistance officials said in a statement. “Such actions will only resemble hysteria and do not affect the real state of affairs. The Russians are the enemy here and will always be under the sights of the defense forces.”
The Moscow-installed head of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, told the official TASS news agency that one person was killed and two others wounded in the Ukrainian attack at the port that also damaged nearby buildings.
“Six people have been evacuated to temporary accommodation centers; other residents are staying with their relatives and friends,” Mr. Aksyonov said. “Transport infrastructure is functioning normally, (and) there are no restrictions on passenger traffic.”
The airstrikes were the most significant naval attack since April 2022 when the Russian warship Moskva, the flagship of the Black Sea fleet, sank after two Ukrainian R-360 Neptune anti-ship missiles hit it.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and uses it as a logistics hub for military operations in southern Ukraine. In recent months, Kyiv has increased the pace of its attacks on Russian targets on the peninsula.
British Defense Minister Grant Shapps said the destruction of the Russian landing ship refutes claims from some observers that Russia has the upper hand in its war against Ukraine.
“They haven’t noticed that over the past four months, 20% of Russia’s Black Sea fleet has been destroyed,” Mr. Shapps wrote Tuesday on X. “Russia’s dominance in the Black Sea is now challenged, and the new U.K. and Norway-led Maritime Capability Coalition is helping to ensure Ukraine will win at sea.”
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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