Ukraine launched an attack on Russian naval targets and port infrastructure in Sevastopol, in Russian-occupied Crimea early on Wednesday, in what appears to be the largest attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s home base since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
A Ukrainian military official confirmed that a large landing vessel and submarine were hit, but did not provide further details on the means used for the strike or the scale of damage.
Russia’s defence ministry stated that Ukraine attacked a Black Sea shipyard with 10 cruise missiles and three unmanned speedboats early Wednesday, damaging two vessels undergoing repairs.
On the Telegram messaging app, Sevastopol’s Russia-installed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, claimed that Ukraine was responsible for the missile attack that occurred in the early hours of Wednesday. He also stated that Russian air defences attempted to intercept the incoming missiles. Additionally, Russian ships at sea successfully repelled a drone attack.
“It really is the biggest attack on Sevastopol since the beginning of the war,” retired Ukrainian navy captain Andriy Ryzhenko told Reuters by telephone.