Russian ships damaged in Ukrainian missile attack on Crimea, Moscow says

A Ukrainian cruise missile attack on a shipyard in Sevastopol in Moscow-controlled Crimea damaged two ships undergoing repairs, Russia’s defence ministry said Wednesday.

Sevastopol port is home to Russia’s Black Sea fleet.

The city’s Russia-backed governor said the attack caused a blaze and injured 24 people.

Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, has been targeted by Kyiv throughout Moscow’s Ukraine offensive but has recently come under more intense, increased attacks.

“The Ukrainian armed forces launched a strike with 10 cruise missiles at the S. Ordzhonikidze ship repair plant,” Russia’s defence ministry said on Telegram.

Ukraine also “attempted an attack with three unmanned boats at a detachment of ships of the Black Sea fleet” during a sea crossing, it added.

Russian warship damaged after Ukraine attacks Black Sea naval base: sources

“Air defence systems shot down seven cruise missiles, and the patrol ship Vasily Bykov destroyed all unmanned boats.

“As a result of being hit by enemy cruise missiles, two ships undergoing repairs were damaged.”

Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russia-backed governor of Sevastopol, Crimea’s biggest city, said on Telegram that he was at the scene of a fire at the shipyard.

“As a result of the attack, according to preliminary information, a total of 24 people were injured, four of them in moderate condition,” he said.

Ukraine’s RBC-Ukraine news outlet reported, citing unnamed sources in Ukrainian military intelligence, that an amphibious landing ship and a submarine were damaged in the attack. Some Russian messaging app channels made the same claim.

There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials. Kyiv has acknowledged past attacks on Crimea, which Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky has a goal of reclaiming, and avoided claiming responsibility for drone attacks on Moscow and other regions of Russia.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted 32 of 44 Shahed-type drones launched over the country overnight, most of them directed toward the southern parts of the Odesa region.

Additional reporting by Associated Press