JAKARTA - President Volodymyr Zelensky said there was no safe place for invaders on his country's territory, after a Russian warship was hit by a cruise missile with Moscow admitting there was damage.
In his post on Telegram, President Zelensky insinuated that the Ukrainian Air Force had added to the fleet of 'Russian submarines' by damaging the landing ship Novocherkassk which was anchored in Crimea at night.
"There will not be a single peaceful place for invaders in Ukraine," wrote President Zelensky, reported by Reuters, December 27.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force said its pilots had attacked the Crimean port of Feodosia at around 02:30 a.m. (00:30 GMT), destroying Novocherkassk.
"And the fleet in Russia is getting smaller! Thanks to the Air Force pilots and everyone involved for the hard work!" said Ukrainian air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk, via Telegram.
Separately, Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser, said via Telegram that it was clear that Russia would not release detailed information about the attack in times of war, but said Russia needed to do more to protect its assets in Crimea.
"It is clear that Crimea's air defense system must be strengthened. And it is clear that Crimea (Ukraine) needs to lose the opportunity to attack Russia," explained Markov.
It is known, according to the US military fact sheet regarding the Novocherkask and other ships in the Ropucha Class as quoted by CNN, the ship is 369 feet (112.5 meters) long, displaces around 3,450 tons, equivalent to a US Navy littoral combat ship.
The Novocherkask landing ship carries a crew of about 87 people with a capacity of 237 troops, according to the US military. The ship is designed for beach landings with bow and stern doors, as well as the ability to accommodate up to 25 armored personnel carriers on its vehicle deck.
Mykola Oleshchuk himself said that the ship was carrying the Iranian-made Shahed attack drone.
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If the destruction of Novocherkask is confirmed, it could be the third incident in the past week in which the Russian military suffered the loss of critical hardware in combat, Ukraine claims.
On Christmas Eve, the Ukrainian Air Force said it destroyed a Su-24 fighter jet in the eastern region of Donetsk and a Su-30SM fighter jet in the Black Sea.
Last Friday, President Zelensky said his country's troops had shot down three Russian Su-34 fighter planes.
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