Defeat for Russia in the war: a Ukrainian bombing caused serious damage to one of its ships in Crimea

Russia acknowledged Tuesday that one of its ships was damaged in a Ukrainian attack on Feodosia, on the annexed Crimean peninsula, in a new setback in the Black Sea for Moscow, which claims progress on the ground when the war is almost two years old.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed by his Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu about the “damage” suffered by the landing ship “Novocherkassk” in this attack, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the press, without providing further details.

The Ministry of Defense, quoted by the RIA Novosti agency, specified that the ship was “damaged during the night in an attack by the Ukrainian armed forces, who used cruise missiles”.

Hours before, The Ukrainian Air Force reported that it “destroyed” this shipsuspected of carrying Iranian-made Shahed drones, used by Moscow in the conflict.

The attack took place around 2:30 am with cruise missiles from the “tactical aviation”, he indicated on Telegram.

Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk released a video showing an explosion and flames.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speculated that the ship sank and commented, sarcastically, on the good job his military had done in adding “a new ship to the Russian submarine fleet in the Black Sea.”

Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat said at a press conference that only the “skeleton” remains of the ship, as shown by photographs published on the Telegram channel by the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine.

“A photo appeared, only a skeleton remained of this shipeverything that was there was razed to the ground, after that explosion, “It is clear that not only the ship itself was destroyed, perhaps some port infrastructure, perhaps some support ships that were nearby, as well as the ship’s crew that was nearby,” he said.

“It is therefore a very powerful event (…) we destroyed both the ship and the occupants thanks to clearly coordinated actions”, underlined Ignat, who recalled that the Russian flagship was also sunk in April 2022, the “Moskva”.

According to Sergei Aksionov, governor of Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, the attack in Feodosia left one dead and two injured.

Six buildings were damaged and residents evacuated in this city which has an important commercial port on the shores of the Black Sea.

A victory for Ukraine

The attack is a triumph for Ukraine, which seeks to demonstrate that it can keep Moscow’s fleet away from its shores, even if it fails to stop the advance of Russian forces on the front.

His army succeeded in moving Russian ships away from the southwestern Black Sea and reopening a sea corridor to export Ukrainian grain.

Zelenskiy celebrated the results of this strategy, “a great victory for Ukraine in the Black Sea.”

Although the port of the Russian Black Sea fleet is located in Sevastopol, about 190 km from Feodosia, several Russian ships are currently deployed in the port of this city, according to the local press.

The Black Sea is very important for Ukraine’s grain exports, one of the world’s largest manufacturers. It is also strategic for Russia.

In the northern part is Crimea, a key piece of Russian military device send supplies to its troops in southern Ukraine and launch attacks inside the former Soviet republic.

Kiev’s operations in the Black Sea are one of his few military triumphs this yearsince after several Russian withdrawals in 2022, the front line remains almost unchanged and in recent weeks Moscow’s troops have intensified pressure in the eastern and southern areas.

The Russian military said on Monday it had taken control of the town of Marinka, near Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Kiev later claimed it was false.

The Ukrainian military said on Tuesday that the country was the target of a new barrage of Shahed drones, especially in the Kherson and Odessa regions. Thirteen of the 19 Russian drones were intercepted, according to the same source, which reported no casualties or damage.

Source: AFP