The Ukrainian air force says it has destroyed a new Russian warship in a shipyard on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow. The commander of the air force, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, announced on his Telegram channel on Sunday that the hit had been confirmed. He had previously published a video that was supposed to show the attack on the shipyard in the coastal town of Kerch. It was therefore not yet clear whether the Russian Navy ship had actually been hit. Russian media also reported the strike, citing the Defense Ministry in Moscow.
The Saliv shipyard was attacked with rockets on Saturday evening, reported the Russian news agency Interfax, citing the ministry in Moscow. 13 of 15 rockets were intercepted by Russian air defense. The ministry confirmed that a ship had also been damaged. The shipyard in Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014 in violation of international law, is considered one of the largest in Eastern Europe subject to sanctions from the West.
According to Ukrainian Air Force Chief Oleshchuk, the destroyed warship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet was to be used to launch cruise missiles. The Russian Navy had been “scalped,” he wrote, alluding to the Scalp-type cruise missiles supplied by France. Ukraine had received virtually identical Storm Shadow and Scalp cruise missiles from Great Britain and France.
Ukraine repeatedly bombards targets in Crimea, including the bridge built from Kerch to the Russian heartland. In addition to Western weapons, Kiev’s armed forces also use self-made drones. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly announced that he wants to retake Crimea as part of the defense against the Russian invasion that has been going on for more than 20 months. The nuclear power Russia, which attacked Ukraine on February 24, 2022, announced that it wanted to hold Crimea using all means at its disposal.
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