Russian confirms warship damage in black sea

• The attack resulted in at least one fatality and several injuries.
• Ukraine refutes claims that Russia shot down two of its Su-24 bombers.
• Ukrainian President praises the air force for replenishing the Russian submarine.

Russia has confirmed that one of its warships was damaged in a Ukrainian attack on a Black Sea port. The incident occurred in Feodosiya, which is part of Russian-occupied Crimea, early on Tuesday morning.

The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that the large landing ship Novocherkassk was hit by Ukrainian aircraft.

The head of the Ukrainian Air Force had earlier stated that Ukrainian warplanes successfully destroyed the ship. The attack resulted in at least one fatality, according to the Russian-installed head of Crimea.

The airstrike caused damage to six buildings, and some individuals had to be relocated to temporary accommodation centers. Despite the cordoned-off area and a contained fire from the attack, the port’s transport operations are reportedly functioning normally.

Footage, shared by Ukrainian Air Force commander Lt Gen Mykola Oleshchuk, purportedly shows a significant explosion in the port. While the images have not been independently verified by satellite image.

Disabling the Novocherkassk, even temporarily, is seen as a positive development for Ukraine, particularly amid declining Western support affecting its front-line operations. The duration of the disruption to operations and its impact on the front lines remain uncertain.

Ukraine’s air force has refuted claims that Russia shot down two of its Su-24 bombers near the occupied city of Mykolaiv. Additionally, Sergei Shoigu’s assertion that Russian forces seized the key town of Mariinka in eastern Ukraine. Mariinka has served as a defensive barrier for Ukraine since 2014 when Russian-backed fighters took control of significant areas in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

This attack on the Novocherkassk was not the first time Ukrainian forces targeted the ship. Lt Gen Oleshchuk, in a Telegram post, drew a parallel between the fate of the Novocherkassk and the Moskva, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet flagship, which sank in the Black Sea last year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky quipped that he was “grateful” to the country’s air force. He said that “for the impressive replenishment of the Russian submarine Black Sea fleet with another vessel,” about other Russian ships that have been sunk during the war.

“The occupiers will not have a single peaceful place in Ukraine,” he said.

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