Ukraine launches missile attack on Crimea

Russia has reported that Ukraine initiated an assault on the location of its Black Sea fleet in Crimea, launching ten missiles and three unmanned boats. This attack resulted in a significant fire at a Sevastopol shipyard, causing injuries to 24 individuals, as per Russian sources. The Moscow-appointed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, asserted that most of the weaponry was intercepted, but two ships sustained damage. Ukraine has strongly insinuated that Western-supplied cruise missiles were employed in this attack.

Unmanned vessels, often referred to as sea drones or drone boats, operate either on or below the water’s surface. They typically incorporate built-in explosives and cameras that transmit live feeds to their controllers. A photograph shared by Mr. Razvozhayev on Telegram depicts flames engulfing what seems to be a ship at a port in an area where ship repairs were taking place. Among the damaged vessels were the large landing ship Minsk and the submarine Rostov-on-Don, both believed to be in dry dock. This incident ranks as one of Ukraine’s most significant attacks on the Black Sea fleet to date.

According to the state-run Ria Novosti news agency, Russia’s defense ministry has indicated that both vessels will be fully repaired and returned to normal service. Ukraine’s head of the air force, Mykola Oleshchuk, posted on Telegram, thanking his pilots for their “outstanding combat performance” and strongly hinting at the use of UK Storm Shadow or French SCALP cruise missiles. These missiles have a range of over 150 miles (240 km), triple the range of missiles previously used by Ukraine. The Ukrainian air force confirmed that Storm Shadow and SCALP cruise missiles are the only such weapons currently in their possession.

This incident appears to mark the first time that such weaponry has been employed against targets within Crimea. Unverified images circulating on social media depict several significant explosions in the region. The fact that some missiles penetrated Russia’s air defenses and inflicted substantial damage is a matter of genuine concern for Moscow.

The Russian defense ministry claimed that seven of the missiles were intercepted, and all three unmanned boats were destroyed. It’s worth noting that Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 has been a persistent point of contention, and this attack underscores the ongoing struggle for control over the region’s waters. Ukraine has consistently expressed its desire to regain control of the peninsula, and this isn’t the first time it has targeted Sevastopol and the Black Sea fleet. Additionally, reports indicate that Russian drones damaged the Ukrainian grain port of Izmail on the Danube River. Governor Oleh Kiper of the Odesa region confirmed that the attack resulted in injuries, fires, and damage to civil infrastructure.

In recent developments, Ukraine asserted that it had regained control of four gas drilling platforms in the northern Black Sea, near the Crimean peninsula, known as the Boyko Towers. These platforms had been captured by Russia in 2015, shortly after the annexation of Crimea.