Russia made a rare acknowledgment of a successful Ukrainian attack Wednesday, noting two of its warships were damaged and 24 people were injured in Sevastopol, the largest city on the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula. Ukraine attacked the Sergo Ordzhonikidze shipyard, which serves as a repair base for Russia's Black Sea Fleet, with 10 cruise missiles and three unmanned boats in the early hours of the morning, according to Russia's Defense Ministry. It said the patrol ship Vasily Bykov destroyed the unmanned drones, while air defense systems brought down seven cruise missiles, per the New York Times. The outlet reports explosions were first heard around 2am and a fire at the port "continued to burn into the early morning."
The overnight attack "appears to be Kyiv's most ambitious strike on the port since the war began," per CNN. Ukraine also struck the Russian naval base at Sevastopol with drones last October, per the Times. Kyiv has since "expanded its ability to strike at long range, and attacks have grown bolder and more sophisticated," per the outlet. Crimea's Russian-backed governor, Mikhail Razvozhaev, shared a photo showing damage to the port side of a Ropucha-class large landing ship. Two Russian military bloggers claimed damage to the large landing ship Minsk, and Rostov-on-Don, a Kilo-class submarine capable of carrying Kalibr cruise missiles, both of which had apparently been undergoing repairs in a dry dock.
One blogger said 10 Storm Shadow cruise missiles, Ukraine's longest-range weapon, were launched from Su-24M aircraft over the Black Sea, and three hit their targets. The other said the Minsk had caught fire, per CNN. The commander of Ukraine's air force applauded its pilots in the aftermath. "While the occupiers are still recovering from the night-time bombardment in Sevastopol, I would like to thank the pilots of the Ukrainian Air Force for their excellent combat work!" said Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, per CNN. He added: "To be continued…" Also Wednesday, a Russian drone attack on Ukraine's Danube River port of Izmail triggered a fire and sent six people to the hospital, per Al Jazeera. Ukraine's military said 32 drones were shot down. (More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
