A Ukrainian attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Crimea damaged two ships and sparked a major fire at a sprawling naval shipyard that Russian and Ukrainian officials say plays a crucial role in the Russian war effort.
The predawn attack on Wednesday appeared to be the largest on the Russian navy headquarters in the occupied port city of Sevastopol since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly 19 months ago, underscoring Ukraine’s growing ability to attack targets deep inside Russia hold true. held territory.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that Ukraine fired 10 cruise missiles at the facility in the city of Sevastopol and simultaneously attacked a Russian warship in the Black Sea with three maritime drones. Air defense systems shot down seven cruise missiles and the patrol ship Vasily Bykov destroyed the unmanned drones, the ministry said.
Moscow’s rare acknowledgment of a successful Ukrainian attack in Crimea came only after local residents posted images on social media of explosions and raging fires at the shipyard. Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Russian-backed governor of Crimea, later shared a photo that appeared to show the port side of a large landing ship being damaged.
Mr Razvozhaev said at least 24 people were injured at the Sevmorzavod shipyard. The first explosions and anti-aircraft sounds were first reported around 2 a.m. local time. .
It was unclear what weapons Ukraine used in the attack, but Ukrainian Air Force commander Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk suspected it was an airstrike.
“While the occupiers are still recovering from the night bombardment in Sevastopol, I would like to thank the pilots of the Ukrainian Air Force for their excellent combat work,” he wrote in a statement. “Be continued …”
Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior presidential adviser, pointed to Ukrainian responsibility for the attack. In a statement, he said that the only way to secure trade routes and grain shipments through the Black Sea was to expand the capabilities of the Ukrainian armed forces, “including by expanding the range of weapons.”
“We can already see the results of this in Sevastopol,” he wrote.
He did not specify which weapons were used and it could not be determined. This summer, Ukraine acquired long-range weapons from the British and French, and Kiev has also developed its own domestically-made long-range cruise missiles.
The attack damaged an improved Kilo-class attack submarine, the Rostov-on-Don, and a Ropucha-class landing ship, the Minsk, according to Russian military bloggers and the Russian news agency Baza, which did not cite sources.
The reports could not be independently confirmed, but Russian officials said the attacks damaged two ships that were in dry dock.
The attack on Russia’s naval fleet comes just days after Ukraine said its forces had recaptured several Black Sea oil and gas drilling platforms that have played a role in Russia’s assertion of power since their occupation by Moscow in 2015 the coast of Ukraine could expand.
Russian forces used the platforms, known as Boyko towers, as forward deployment bases and installed radars, long-range missile systems and a variety of other equipment. Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy, said expelling Russian forces from the platforms “allows us to deprive them of relevant information, leaving them unable to respond immediately or plan anything in our waters.”
Around the same time the Russian port was attacked, the Ukrainian military said it shot down 32 of 44 Iranian-made attack drones, mostly targeting port and grain infrastructure in the Odessa region.
Oleh Kiper, the head of Odessa’s military administration, said ports on the Danube on the border with Romania had been attacked again and at least six civilians had been injured.
“We are dealing with the consequences,” he said in a statement. “The fire department is working to contain the fire.”
The conflict on the Black Sea has escalated sharply since Russia withdrew from an agreement in July that allowed millions of tons of grain to be exported from Ukrainian ports to countries around the world.
The Kremlin then increased attacks on Ukrainian ports, grain facilities and other civilian infrastructure.
Crimea, home to Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet and dotted with air bases, missile complexes and troop concentrations, is a key link in the Russian war effort.
Limiting the flow of weapons and supplies from Russia through Crimea to occupying forces in southern Ukraine is important for Kiev as its ground forces struggle to break through Russian defense lines.
— Marc Santora and Andrés R. Martínez