The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday that a naval ship in Crimea was damaged by Ukrainian forces. The landing ship Novocherkassk was hit in Feodosia by plane-launched guided missiles, leading to the destruction of two Ukrainian fighter jets by anti-aircraft fire. Over the past months, Ukrainian forces have executed attacks around Crimea, largely with sea drones. One person was killed in the attack, according to Sergei Aksyonov, the Russia-appointed leader of Crimea.
Despite the lack of specifics on the extent of damage, videos shared on Ukrainian media outlets showed a large fire in the port area where the ship was docked. Ukrainian authorities claimed the ship was destroyed and suggested it might have been carrying a shipment of ammunition, possibly including drones. Ukrainian air force Cmdr. Mykola Oleschuk taunted “The Russian fleet has become smaller” on the Telegram app. The Russian ship, the Novocherkassk, was previously damaged in an attack in March 2022, a month after the war started. It has been used to transport weapons and soldiers to the Zaporizhzhia region, which is partly held by Russian forces.
Moreover, the Ukrainian air force’s Tuesday morning update revealed that Russia had launched 19 drones, with 13 being shot down, mostly against the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions. No casualties were reported, but the remaining drones caused infrastructure damage, according to Ukraine’s presidential office. Landing ships like the Novocherkassk were described as being constantly used by the enemy as logistical facilities and for the transportation of important cargo. Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat claimed how powerful the blasts and detonation were and stated that it would be extremely difficult for a ship to survive an attack like that.