KYIV: Ukraine claimed on Sunday that it had targeted two Russian military ships stationed in Crimea with overnight strikes, as the country faced another night of intense Russian aerial attacks. The strikes came amidst heightened tensions between the two nations, with Poland reporting a breach of its airspace by a Russian cruise missile.
According to Ukraine’s armed forces’ strategic communications center, the strikes successfully hit the amphibious landing ships Yamal and Azov, along with a communications center and several infrastructure sites of the Black Sea Fleet. The attacks occurred in the annexed peninsula of Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014.
Meanwhile, Moscow-installed officials in Crimea claimed that their forces repelled a major Ukrainian aerial attack late Saturday night, resulting in casualties. The Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol reported a 65-year-old man killed and four people injured. However, he did not mention any damage to Russian warships.
Footage shared on social media showed a large explosion in the city, accompanied by a fireball and plume of black smoke, as well as Russian air defenses intercepting incoming projectiles.
Ukraine Claims Major Damage to Russian Red Sea Fleet
Ukraine has claimed to have destroyed a significant portion of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet since the start of the conflict, primarily using sea-based drones laden with explosives in nighttime attacks.
Meanwhile, Poland’s army confirmed that one of the Russian missiles fired at western Ukraine breached its airspace, flying over the village of Oserdow in Lublin province for 39 seconds. Poland, a staunch ally of Ukraine, has demanded an explanation from Moscow.
The escalation in attacks comes as Russia intensifies its air campaign against Ukraine, firing cruise missiles and drones at Ukrainian territory. The increase in hostilities follows a wave of Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s border regions, prompting retaliatory measures from Moscow.
Russia claims to have made territorial gains in eastern Ukraine, seizing a village on the western outskirts of Bakhmut. This follows its capture of Adviivka last month, marking the first major territorial gain by Russia since the beginning of the conflict.
