Russia confirmed on Tuesday that one of its ships had been damaged in a Ukrainian attack on Feodosia, in annexed Crimea, a new snub for Moscow in the Black Sea at a time when it claims advances on land. Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed by his Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of “damage” suffered by the large landing ship Novocherkassk during this strike, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov told the press, without further comment. details. The Ministry of Defense, cited by the RIA Novosti agency, indicated that the boat had been “damaged during the night during an attack by the Ukrainian armed forces using cruise missiles”.
Ukraine claimed to have “destroyed” the ship
Earlier, the Ukrainian Air Force claimed to have “destroyed” this ship, suspected of carrying Iranian drones that Moscow uses in the conflict. The attack was carried out around 2:30 a.m. (00:30 GMT) using “tactical aviation” cruise missiles, she said on Telegram. Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchouk relayed a video showing an explosion and a spray of flames.
According to the governor of Crimea, Sergei Aksionov, the attack on Feodosia left one dead and two injured. Six buildings were also damaged, and their residents evacuated, in this city which is home to a major Black Sea trading port.
Zelensky says he is “grateful” to his air force
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was “grateful” to his air force after a strike that damaged the Russian ship in Crimea on Tuesday, a new example of kyiv’s military successes in the Black Sea.
“I am grateful to our Air Force for the impressive addition of a new ship to the Russian submarine fleet in the Black Sea,” the leader said on Telegram, sarcastically implying that the boat was sunk.
A “great victory for Ukraine in the Black Sea”
Ukraine, which is struggling to push Russia back on the front, is trying to move its military fleet away from the Ukrainian coast. And the country is recording successes. His army managed to keep Russian ships away from the southwest Black Sea and reopen a maritime corridor to export Ukrainian grain, ignoring threats of bombing. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the results of this strategy as a “great victory for Ukraine in the Black Sea.”
Crimea, a peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014, is regularly targeted because it is important for the logistics of the Russian army. If the home port of the Russian Black Sea Fleet is located in Sevastopol, approximately 190 km from Feodosia, several Russian ships are also currently deployed in the port of this city, according to Russian media. Kiev’s successful operations in the Black Sea constitute one of its few major military successes in 2022, as its counter-offensive came up against Russian defense lines, and Moscow’s troops intensified their pressure on the Eastern and Southern fronts.
The Russian army claimed on Monday to have taken control of the town of Mariinka, near Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, although kyiv later assured that this was false. The Ukrainian Air Force, for its part, indicated on Tuesday that the country was the subject of a new night attack by Shahed drones, particularly in the regions of Kherson and Odessa. Thirteen of the 19 Russian drones were intercepted, according to this source which did not report any casualties or destruction.