Ukrainian Military Claims Hit Two Landing Ships and Infrastructure of Russia's Black Sea Fleet

Russian landing ship Novocherkassk. (Wikimedia Commons/men'smen

JAKARTA - The Ukrainian military said it successfully attacked two large Russian landing ships in an attack on the annexed Crimean peninsula on Sunday morning, as well as communications centers and other infrastructure used by the Russian navy in the Black Sea.

The statement did not say how the missile reached its target. However, an official assigned by Moscow to the region reported a major Ukrainian airstrike, saying air defenses had shot down more than 10 missiles in the Crimean port of Sevastopol.

"Ukrainian defense forces managed to hit the large landing ships Azov and Yamal, communications centers and also several infrastructure facilities of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in temporarily occupied Crimea," the Ukrainian military said, as reported by Reuters, March 25.

Meanwhile, Russian-appointed Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said via the Telegram messaging application that a 65-year-old man was killed when three houses were hit by shrapnel.

He also said on Sunday, transport infrastructure including passenger ships and buses was partially damaged, with windows broken on five ships. Three passenger buses, 13 school buses and one trolley bus were among the vehicles damaged, he added.

It is known that Ukraine often attacks the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Earlier, Ukrainian naval drones damaged a sophisticated patrol vessel belonging to Russia's Black Sea Fleet off the coast of occupied Crimea, Ukrainian military intelligence said earlier this month.

The intelligence agency said via the Telegram messaging application, Group 13 special units attacked the Russian Black Sea Fleet patrol ship Sergey Kotov near the Kerch Strait.

"As a result of the Magura V5 maritime drone attack, the Russian ship Project 22160 Sergey Kotov suffered damage to the stern, right and left sides," the message read.

Last December, the Novocherkassk landing ship, which together with the Azov and Yamal is included in the Ropucha Class landing ships, was also hit while docked in the Black Sea. The previous month, two small landing ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet were hit by Ukrainian naval drone attacks.