New Delhi: In the early hours of 26 December, the Ukrainian Air Force attacked a Russian warship located in the Feodosia region in Crimea. The warship ‘Novocherkassk’, a Russian Navy amphibious assault landing ship, was struck with cruise missiles.
The Ukrainian Air Force claimed to have destroyed the ship in a statement posted on the messenger application Telegram — one of the most significant attacks against the Russian Black Fleet in months.
“Around 02:30 on 26 December, tactical aviation of the Air Force attacked with cruise missiles the large landing ship of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation ‘Novocherkassk’ in the Feodosia region,” said the translated statement published by the Ukrainian Air Force on Telegram.
The Russian ministry of defence, however, told the Russian news agency TASS, that the large amphibious suffered damage from the attack, making no mention of the status of the ship.
Videos published on Astra Press – an independent journalist-run Telegram channel covering the war and its impact on Russia – purportedly shot by local residents showed a huge explosion, with a large fireball followed by smoke and fire roaring across the night sky. The footage was shared by the Ukrainian Air Force on its Telegram channel.
“And the fleet in Russia is getting smaller and smaller. This time, the large amphibious ship Novocherkassk is following the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation, the cruiser Moskva,” Ukrainian Air Force commander Mykola Oleschuk said in a post on Telegram.
Also Read: Ukraine envoy rues scaling down of bilateral ties since war began, wants Modi to visit Kyiv
Increasing attacks on Crimea
Ukraine through 2023 has increasingly targeted Russian assets in the Crimean peninsula – a region annexed by Moscow in February 2014.
In September, Ukraine attacked the peninsula two consecutive days, damaging the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet as reported by ThePrint earlier. Ukrainian forces also claimed to have killed the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, according to media reports. The commander of the Black Sea Fleet is Admiral Viktor Sokolov.
The first major victory for the Ukrainians was the successful sinking of the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva cruiser, in April 2022 – one of the most powerful missile platforms operated by Moscow at the time, according to The New York Times.
Through its efforts in attacking the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Kyiv has been able to reopen its Black Sea ports, including Odessa for agricultural exports – establishing a new shipping corridor and weakening the blockade imposed by Moscow, according to media reports.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: How Russia-Ukraine war reached an impasse & key takeaways from Putin’s press conference