Ukraine 'Celebrates' Destruction Of Major Russian Navy Vessel In Rare Crimea Air Raid
Ukraine's military has conducted a rare airstrike on a docked Russian warship in an early morning raid on Tuesday. The amphibious landing ship Novocherkassk is said to have sustained significant damage, but The Associated Press is reporting that a pair of Ukrainian fighter jets were shot down by Russian anti-air defenses shortly after.
The landing ship "Novocherkassk" was docked in the Crimean city of Feodosia, with crew aboard during the assault, resulting in one person killed and two injured. Russia's TASS said the attack resulted in an ammunition store being blown up.
The Novocherkassk is a large amphibious assault landing ship, and thus the attack is being seen as a significant blow to the Russian Navy, also with Ukraine leaders celebrating the mission as a 'victory'.
"The fleet in Russia is getting smaller and smaller!" Ukrainian air force chief Mykola Oleshchuk declared on Telegram. Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat at the same time said on US-funded Radio Liberty, "We saw how powerful were the blast and detonation. It’s extremely difficult for a ship to survive something like that."
Kiev leaders also shared several videos showing the giant port explosion...
/9. “A fire continues in the port of Feodosia, residents see smoke. The most powerful explosion, which was heard by the entire city, occurred around 03:30 (on video), before and after there were smaller ones. At the moment, the area has been cordoned off and the fire has been… pic.twitter.com/X3Ly5SSAgt
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) December 26, 2023
Oleshchuk used the occasion to urge all Russians to leave Crimea "before it’s too late." Pro-Ukrainian pundits also widely shared images of the attack aftermath in a celebratory mood.
However, it has long become clear that Ukraine has little to celebrate, given the increasing top-level admissions that Ukraine forces are failing - as one recent New York Times headline also emphasized - and that manpower and ammo are in severe short supply. Kiev will eventually be forced to negotiate and reach a settlement which will inevitably require giving up significant territory in the East and likely the South too.
The Russians confirmed Tuesday's major port attack, with governor of Crimea Sergey Aksyonov giving a press briefing on the extent of the destruction:
"Unfortunately, as a result of an enemy attack in Feodosia, one person was killed, two were wounded. Six buildings were damaged; mostly, windows were shattered. Six people have been evacuated to temporary accommodation centers; other residents are staying with their relatives and friends. Transport infrastructure is functioning normally; there are no restrictions on passenger traffic," Aksyonov said.
The Novocherkassk was likely targeted as it was known to transport and launch Kamikaze drones, among others, against Ukrainian cities and targets from the Black Sea. Russia has relied heavily on drones to degrade and destroy key Ukrainian infrastructure throughout nearly two years of war.