After headquarters hit
New explosions in Russian-occupied Sevastopol
September 23, 2023, 11:11 a.m
Explosions again rock Sevastopol, the largest city on the Crimean peninsula. The Russian occupiers report falling rocket debris. There is a reference on social networks to a nearby ammunition depot. The day before, the Russian naval headquarters had already been hit.
One day after the Ukrainians’ successful attack on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, there were new explosions on the annexed Crimean peninsula. “According to preliminary information, air defense was deployed in Sevastopol,” the area’s Russian crew chief, Mikhail Razvoshayev, wrote on Telegram.
Missile debris fell in a district north of the city where the Black Sea Fleet has its main base, he added. This could not be independently verified. Photos of a cloud of smoke in the sky were shared on social networks and it was suggested that there was a Russian ammunition depot in the affected area.
On Friday, too, the Russian side initially only spoke of falling rocket debris – but ultimately the Ukrainian attack turned out to be far more successful: the missiles severely damaged the important and symbolic Russian naval building.
Ukraine: General injured in attack
It remains unclear how many military personnel were killed or injured in Friday’s attack. The Russian side initially named one dead person, but later corrected this information and only spoke of one missing person. The head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, later said in an interview that at least nine Russians were killed and 16 others were injured, including generals.
Russia has been waging a war of aggression against neighboring Ukraine for 19 months. Ships from the Russian Black Sea Fleet regularly fire rockets at Ukrainian cities. In recent weeks, the Ukrainian army has repeatedly managed to damage Russian military objects – including in Crimea, which has been annexed by Moscow since 2014.