US Edition
Ukraine’s military has said it destroyed two large Russian warships in the Black Sea along with other facilities used by Moscow’s navy on the annexed Crimean peninsula.
A Ukrainian military spokesman said: “The defence forces have successfully hit the Yamal and Azov landing ships, a communications centre and several infrastructure facilities belonging to the Russian Black Sea Fleet.”
A Russian-installed regional official confirmed a major Ukrainian air attack had taken place and said more than 10 missiles were shot down over the Black Sea port of Sevastopol.
Storm Shadow missiles were reportedly used in the attack, which the UK has supplied to Kyiv since May 2023.
The Anglo-French-developed missiles have a range of over 155 miles and can fly low under radar coverage, enabling Ukraine to hit Russian targets far behind the front lines.
Open-source intelligence analysts shared geolocated footage showing a large fireball erupting from what is reportedly a major Russian naval communications centre in Sevastopol. The site is said to be the former headquarters of the Ukrainian Black Sea fleet, which was captured by Russian forces when the Kremlin annexed Crimea in 2014.
The Yamal and the Azov are modernised Soviet-era landing ships with a normal crew of 98 and 87 respectively.
Owing to the age of the vessels and the collapse of the Russian shipbuilding industry after the fall of the Soviet Union, they cannot be replaced with ships of the same class.
The cost of replacing each of the landing ships with modern equivalents is estimated to be £170 million.
Russia has lost nearly a quarter of its Black Sea Fleet since the February 2022 invasion, including the guided-missile cruiser Moskva, which was the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet before it was sunk by Ukrainian anti-ship missiles in April 2022.
Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, said the strikes were “a historic moment for Ukraine and a further shift in Black Sea dynamics”.
“After years of illegal Russian control over Crimea, the destruction of these key Russian vessels marks a significant milestone. In plain English, it means that Putin can no longer exercise safely in the Black Sea, even though the Russian Fleet has operated there since 1783.
“The world cannot afford for Ukraine to lose this war and our support against Russia’s invading forces will remain undimmed,” he said.
The strike came as Russia launched its third “massive” air attack on Ukraine in four days with 57 missile and drone attacks reported in Kyiv and the western city of Lviv.
The majority were intercepted as the Ukrainian air force reported that it destroyed 18 out of 29 missiles and 25 out of 28 attack drones.
Witnesses in Kyiv heard several blasts and saw some air weapons being shot down.
According to Sergiy Popko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, there were no reports of casualties.
“The enemy continues massive missile terror against Ukraine,” Mr Popko said.