In an overnight attack, Ukraine targeted a significant Russian landing warship in Crimea using cruise missiles. The strike resulted in at least one fatality and has the potential to impede any Russian efforts to seize additional Ukrainian territory along the Black Sea coast.
According to the Russian defense ministry, reported by Interfax, Ukraine employed air-launched missiles to strike the Crimean port of Feodosia, damaging the Novocherkassk large landing ship. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu briefed President Vladimir Putin on the details of the attack. Crimea was annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, a move condemned by Kyiv and the West as an unlawful seizure.
Yuriy Ihnat, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, expressed doubt about the Novocherkassk’s ability to return to service, given the extensive damage caused by the explosion. The ship, capable of carrying tanks and armored vehicles for troop landings, faced a formidable challenge to be operational again. Ihnat noted the power of the explosion and the subsequent detonation of munitions, making survival difficult for the ship.
The nature of the cruise missiles used in the attack was not specified by Ukraine, although it was mentioned that both Britain and France had supplied such missiles to Kyiv. With Russia hinting at potential territorial expansion along the Black Sea coast, the attack holds strategic significance.
Videos from Russian news outlets on Telegram displayed powerful explosions and fires at the port, while unverified social media footage depicted a massive explosion and flames illuminating the night sky. Additionally, an unverified daytime photograph circulating on social media, claimed to show the ship’s remnants, revealed a charred, elongated mass of debris emerging from the water near a dock.