Russia-Ukraine war live: Moscow confirms large warship hit in Crimean port

Source: The Guardian | Original Published At: 2023-12-26 11:52:30 UTC

Key Points

• Ukrainian forces attacked a Russian warship in Feodosia, Crimea, using guided missiles launched by aircraft.
• Russia confirmed the Novocherkassk landing ship was damaged, with one death and two injuries, while Ukraine claims it was destroyed.
• The attack could hinder Russian efforts to seize more Ukrainian territory along the Black Sea coast.
• Ukraine has conducted multiple strikes on Crimea, targeting Russian military assets and infrastructure.
• Russia’s Black Sea fleet has been weakened by repeated Ukrainian attacks, impacting its ability to control the Black Sea.

From 4h ago 02.51 EST Russia confirms navy vessel hit One person was killed, two injured and a large landing ship called Novocherkassk was damaged in an overnight Ukrainian attack on the Crimean port city of Feodosia, Russia’s defence ministry and officials said. The Interfax news agency cited the Russian defence ministry as saying that Ukraine had used guided missiles launched by aircraft to attack Feodosia. Reuters reported that the Russia-installed governor of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said on the Telegram messaging app that one person had been killed and two injured as a result of the attack. There was no immediate report of how badly the ship was damaged, but videos circulating on Ukrainian channels showed an extensive fire in the port area.

44m ago 06.12 EST Here’s some additional context on the Russian warship struck by Ukrainian forces in Crimea: The Russian defence ministry, cited by the Interfax news agency, said Ukraine had used air-launched missiles to attack the Crimean port of Feodosia and that the Novocherkassk large landing ship had been damaged. The attack could hinder any Russian attempt to seize more Ukrainian territory along the Black Sea coast. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 in a move Kyiv and the west condemned as an illegal seizure. The Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said he thought it would be hard for the Novocherkassk – which can carry tanks and armoured vehicles and be used to land troops ashore – to re-enter service. He told Radio Free Europe: We can see how powerful the explosion was, what the detonation was like. After that, it’s very hard for a ship to survive, because this was not a rocket, this is the detonation of munitions. Ukraine had used cruise missiles in the attack, without specifying what kind, Ihnat said. Britain and France have supplied Kyiv with such missiles. Russia has hinted it may try to seize more Ukrainian territory along the Black Sea coast. Putin earlier this month said that Odesa, the headquarters of Ukraine’s navy, was “a Russian city”. Footage posted on Russian news outlets on Telegram, purportedly from the port, showed powerful explosions detonating and fires burning. Unverified social media videos purporting to capture the strike showed a vast explosion and ballooning flames lighting up the night sky. An unverified daytime photograph, which Ukrainian bloggers claimed showed the ship’s remains, depicted a charred, elongated clump of debris emerging out of the water by a dock. Sergei Aksyonov, the Russia-installed governor of Crimea, said on Telegram that one person had been killed. The RIA news agency said four people had been injured. Although a Ukrainian counteroffensive has made little in the way of battlefield gains and the Russian military has regained the initiative in several places, Ukraine has been able to launch a series of attacks on Crimea, the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, inflicting serious damage. Previous attacks have targeted ships in dry docks, warships moored in the main port of Sevastopol, airfields, the main Black Sea fleet HQ building, and the bridge that connects southern Russia to Crimea. Throughout the war, Russia has used its fleet to impede Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea, the main export route for the agriculture and steel exports that formed a significant chunk of the country’s economy. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, quipped on Telegram that his air force had added to Russia’s submarine fleet by damaging the landing ship. There will not be a single peaceful place for the occupiers in Ukraine. The Ukrainian air force said its pilots had attacked Feodosia at about 2.30am (0030 GMT), destroying the Novocherkassk. The commander of Ukraine’s air force, Mykola Oleshchuk, said on Telegram: And the fleet in Russia is getting smaller and smaller! Thanks to the Air Force pilots and everyone involved for the filigree work! Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser, said on Telegram it was obvious that Russia would not release detailed information about the attack at a time of war, but said Russia needed to do more to protect its assets in Crimea. He said: It’s clear that Crimea’s air defence systems must be strengthened. And it is clear that it [Ukraine] needs to be deprived of the opportunity to hit Russia. Feodosia, which has a population of about 69,000 people, lies on the southern coast of the Crimean peninsula

2h ago 04.56 EST Here is a video of the large explosion in Crimea as a Ukrainian airstrike hit a Russian warship during an overnight attack on the Crimean port city of Feodosia, Russia’s defence ministry and officials said. The Interfax news agency cited the Russian defence ministry as saying that Ukraine had used guided missiles launched by aircraft to attack Feodosia. Reuters reported that the Russia-installed governor of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said on the Telegram messaging app that one person had been killed and two injured as a result of the attack. 00:00:45 Large explosion in Crimea as Ukrainian airstrike hits Russian warship – video

2h ago 04.50 EST Russia’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, has briefed Vladimir Putin about the Ukrainian attack on the Crimean port of Feodosia and damage sustained by the Novocherkassk landing ship, Interfax quoted the Kremlin as saying.

2h ago 04.39 EST Pjotr Sauer The Guardian’s Russia affairs reporter Pjotr Sauer has the full report on the Russian warship which Ukraine says it has destroyed in a Crimean port. He writes: The Ukrainian air force said it struck the Novocherkassk navy ship, which was stationed in Crimean waters controlled by Russia. The commander of Ukraine’s air force, Mykola Oleshchuk, said on the Telegram messaging app: And the fleet in Russia is getting smaller and smaller! Thanks to the air force pilots and everyone involved for the filigree work!” Footage circulating on several Russian news outlets on Telegram showed powerful explosions and fires over a port area. Russia’s defence ministry acknowledged via a statement that the Novocherkassk landing ship was “damaged” by Ukrainian guided missiles launched by aircraft, adding that one person was killed and two injured in the attack. Earlier in the day, the Russia-appointed head of occupied Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, said in a statement on Telegram that there had been “an enemy attack in [the] Feodosia area”, adding that “detonation has stopped and the fire has been localised”. Moscow is believed to have already withdrawn a significant bulk of its Black Sea fleet from its main base in Crimea after a series of Ukrainian missile and drone strikes last autumn and summer. Ukraine says it has destroyed Russian warship in Crimean port Read more

4h ago 02.47 EST Ukraine claims major Russian navy ship destroyed in Crimea air assault Ukraine carried out an air attack on Feodosia in Crimea, the country’s air force commander said on Tuesday, after the Russian-installed governor of the Crimea said the assault sparked a fire in the town’s port area. Reuters reports that the commander of Ukraine’s air force, Lieut Gen Mykola Oleshchuk, said on Telegram, without providing evidence, that the attack destroyed a major Russian navy vessel, the landing ship Novocherkask. Oleshchuk said: And the fleet in Russia is getting smaller and smaller! Thanks to the Air Force pilots and everyone involved for the filigree work! The report could not be independently verified and there was no immediate comment from Russia. Both Russia and Ukraine have often exaggerated the losses they claim to have inflicted upon each other in the 22-month-long war, while underestimated their own casualty and equipment losses. Earlier on Tuesday, Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed governor of Crimea, said only that the Ukrainian attack resulted in a fire in the town’s port area that was promptly contained. Aksyonov said on the Telegram: All relevant emergency services are on site. Residents of several houses will be evacuated. Footage posted on several Russian news outlets on Telegram showed powerful explosions and fires over a port area. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in a broadly condemned move in 2014.