Ukrainian missiles hit Crimea port overnight: Russia

Ukrainian cruise missiles struck a shipyard in the Crimean port of Sevastopol overnight, Russia’s defence ministry said Wednesday, as Kyiv’s attacks on the Moscow-annexed peninsula intensified.

Russia, which annexed Crimea in 2014, said that Ukraine used three maritime drones and ten cruise missiles in the attack, which it claimed damaged two ships undergoing repairs.

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

It said that air defence systems shot down seven of the missiles, while the Vasily Bykov patrol ship destroyed all the drones.

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

Crimea has been targeted by Ukraine throughout Moscow’s offensive but attacks there have recently intensified as Kyiv vows to take the peninsula back.

Ukrainian air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk posted an image on social media of what appeared to be a large blaze at a port, and said Russia was “still recovering” from the attack.

“I would like to thank the pilots of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for their excellent combat work,” he said.

Air force spokesperson Yuriy Ignat told AFP that “the operation was successful”, without elaborating.

Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russia-backed governor of Sevastopol, Crimea’s biggest city and home to Russia’s Black Sea fleet, said on social media 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.