Ukraine’s air force said it had destroyed a Russian fleet ship in the Black Sea suspected of carrying drones for use in Moscow’s war against Kyiv.
The large landing ship Novocherkassk was “destroyed” by air force pilots, the service posted on the Telegram messaging platform.
“People say that it transported Shaheds,” the message added, referring to Iranian explosive drones used regularly by Russia against Ukraine.
The military did not specify where the attack took place, but air force commandant Mykola Olechtchouk posted a video of a fiery explosion at the Russian naval base of Feodosia, on the Black Sea in the occupied Crimean peninsula.
The report could not be independently verified and there was no immediate comment from Russia.
Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-backed head of Crimea, said: “An enemy attack was carried out in the area of Feodosia”.
“The port area is cordoned off,” he wrote on Telegram.
“As of now, the detonation has stopped and the fire has been localised. All relevant services are on si
te. Residents of several houses will be evacuated.”
Ukraine frequently carries out strikes in Crimea, particularly targeting the Russian military.
In April 2022, it sank the cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the Black Sea fleet.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in a broadly condemned move in 2014
Both Russia and Ukraine have often exaggerated the losses they claim to have inflicted upon each other in the 22-month long war, while underestimated their own casualty and equipment losses.
Earlier yesterday, Mr Aksyonov said only that the Ukrainian attack resulted in a fire in the town’s port area that was promptly contained.
“All relevant emergency services are on site,” he said on the Telegram. “Residents of several houses will be evacuated.”
Meanwhile, Russian troops have also intensified land and air-based attacks on the town of Avdiivka since mid-October as the focal point of their slow-moving push through eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region.
Source: National News Agency – Lebanon
