Ukraine’s military claimed on Sunday to have hit two Black Sea warships near Crimea as well as having struck a communications centre used by the Russian Navy in Sevastopol.
Two Russian Navy ships stationed off the Crimean peninsula were hit by missile strikes, the strategic command of the Ukrainian Army claimed in a post on social media. Additionally, a Russian naval communications centre in Sevastopol was hit during the barrage.
The facility reportedly previously served as the headquarters for the Ukrainian Black Sea fleet before Moscow illegally annexed the territory in 2014.
“Ukraine’s defence force successfully hit Russian large landing ships Yamal and Azov, a communications centre, as well as several infrastructure facilities of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied Sevastopol,” Ukrainian StratCom said in a statement.
Mikail Razvozhayev, the Russian-installed governor of Crimea confirmed on Sunday that multiple missiles were fired from Ukraine at Sevastopol. Razvozhayev did not confirm the strikes on the warships or the communications centre, but said that the missile attack was “the most massive one in recent times”.
The Russian official said that ground defences managed to shoot down 10 missiles. However, Razvozhayev claimed that a 65-year-old man was killed as a projectile hit his home and that a further four people suffered shrapnel wounds.
Great news 🔥
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) March 24, 2024
-2 russian ships.
Overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force successfully struck "Yamal" and "Azov" Ropucha-class landing ships in temporarily occupied Sevastopol.
In addition, the russian Black Sea Fleet's communications center and several infrastructure facilities were… pic.twitter.com/EdGhK18nxf
According to a report from London’s Daily Telegraph, the missiles used in the attacks are believed to have been Storm Shadows supplied to Ukraine from the United Kingdom.
The broadsheet noted that the missiles have a range of more than 155 miles and can fly under the radar, thereby giving Ukraine the ability to strike at targets well beyond the front line.
Ukraine has previously used unmanned sea drones to attack Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. Last month, Ukraine’s armed forces claimed to have sunk the Russian landing ship Caesar Kunikov off the coast of Crimea with explosive-laden remote-controlled sea boats.
Two weeks prior, the Ukrainian military released footage purporting to show the destruction of the Cold War-era Tarantul missile corvette Russian attack ship being struck by sea drones.
The latest strikes on Crimea came as Russia launched a “massive” wave of missile strikes on Ukraine, including on the capital city of Kyiv. There were no casualties reported.
Russian Missile Corvette Sunk by Swarm of Drones, Says Ukraine https://t.co/wZrcqXiV0t
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 2, 2024