Ukrainian missile strike targets Russian ship in annexed Crimea
Date
11/5/2023 6:53:19 AM
(MENAFN) The Russian military has reported that a Ukrainian missile strike targeting a shipyard in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, has resulted in damage to a Russian vessel. According to the Russian Defense Ministry's statement late on Saturday, Ukrainian forces launched 15 cruise missiles at the Zaliv shipyard in Kerch, a city located in the eastern part of the Crimean Peninsula. While Russian air defenses successfully intercepted 13 of these missiles, the remaining two struck the shipyard, causing damage to a Russian ship. However, the extent of the damage and specific details about the affected vessel were not disclosed by the ministry.
The Ukrainian air force commander, Mykola Oleshchuk, acknowledged the attack and mentioned that at the time of the missile strike, one of Russia's advanced ships, capable of carrying Kalibr cruise missiles, was present at the shipyard. Nevertheless, he didn't explicitly confirm whether this particular ship had been harmed by the Ukrainian attack.
The Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine against international norms in 2014, has frequently been a target since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin 20 months ago. Crimea plays a pivotal role in supporting Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
In recent months, Ukraine has increasingly focused on naval facilities in Crimea. In September, a Ukrainian missile strike on a strategic shipyard in Sevastopol resulted in damage to two Russian vessels and caused injuries to 24 individuals. Later in the same month, another missile strike targeted the Crimean headquarters of Russia's navy in Sevastopol.
Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential office, responded to the recent strike in a Telegram post, stating that "life constantly proves that there won't be (Russia's) Black Sea fleet in Crimea."
Concurrently, the Ukrainian military reported that a Russian missile strike in the Zaporizhzhia area late on Friday led to casualties among Ukrainian troops and civilians. The details of this attack, reportedly carried out using an Iskander ballistic missile, have not yet been disclosed to the public. A video circulated on social media indicated that the strike targeted a gathering of soldiers during a ceremony to honor their fellow comrades, but there was no immediate confirmation regarding the number of casualties. Ukraine's Defense Minister, Rustem Umerov, announced that he has ordered an investigation into the incident.
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