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A satellite image shows smoke rising from a Russian Black Sea Navy headquarters following a missile attack in Sevastopol, Crimea, September 22.
CNN –
Ukraine said on Saturday its bold attack on the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean city of Sevastopol left dozens dead and wounded, “including senior leaders.”
Friday’s attack is perhaps the most dramatic example yet of Ukraine’s confidence in attacking Russian facilities in occupied Crimea – and shows the vulnerability of vital infrastructure on the peninsula.
In a statement on Telegram, Ukraine’s special forces said that a special operation dubbed “Crab Trap” was planned at a time when senior members of the Russian Navy were meeting, and that the attack left dozens dead and wounded, “including the supreme leadership of the fleet”. .” No names were named and CNN has not independently verified the claim.
Sevastopol is the largest city in Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014. Ukraine has not given up hope of recapture.
“The courageous and painstaking work of the special forces allowed them to attack the Black Sea Fleet headquarters ‘on time and with precision’ while the senior staff of the Russian Navy met in the temporarily occupied city of Sevastopol,” the statement said.
“The data was transmitted to the Air Force for strike purposes. The details of the attack will be announced as soon as possible. The result is dozens of dead and wounded occupiers, including the top leadership of the fleet,” the statement said.
It added: “We move on!”
Attacks have strategic and symbolic meaning
So far, Ukraine has not provided any further details or evidence about specific casualties of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
The Russian Defense Ministry has so far only said that a Russian soldier was missing after Friday’s rocket attack, which local authorities said left the naval headquarters hundreds of meters away damaged by scattered debris.
The incident was the latest in a series of attacks on Russian facilities in Crimea.
The Ukrainians attacked a Russian military air base in Saky, weakened Russian air defenses on the northwest coast, and carried out a missile attack on the main dry dock and ship repair facility in Sevastopol, disabling an attack submarine and a landing ship.
The attack on Saky caused unspecified but “serious damage” to the airfield, according to Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) sources.
After Friday’s attack, Ukrainian Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksii Danilov warned that Russia’s Black Sea Fleet could be “sliced like salami” in possible future attacks.
There are many reasons for Ukraine to target Crimea. It is a political sign that, despite slow progress on the front, Ukraine can still inflict serious damage on the Russian military in its counteroffensive. Destinations such as the Crimean Bridge have both significant symbolic value and strategic purpose.
It is also part of a broader effort – in Crimea, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk – to attack Russian logistics, fuel, maintenance and command centers to disrupt their ability to supply the front lines.