Footage circulating on social media on Monday appears to show the aftermath of a Ukrainian strike on Russia's oldest Black Sea Fleet vessel over the weekend.
A brief video, which could not be independently verified by Newsweek, appears to show flames and smoke billowing from what looks to be a docked vessel. The Russian Defense Ministry has been contacted for comment via email. Ukraine's Defense Ministry said on Sunday that the Ukrainian navy had struck the Kommuna, a Russian salvage ship, but the extent of the damage was not clear.
Ukraine has frequently targeted Russia's Black Sea Fleet, particularly vessels based at Sevastopol, on the southwestern edge of the annexed Crimean peninsula. Moscow seized control of Crimea in 2014, and Ukraine has vowed to reclaim the territory.
"A missile hit the ship! You see, it's on fire!"
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) April 21, 2024
Explosions were heard in Crimea near Sevastopol Bay this morning, Russian Telegram channels report.
It is reported about the attack of "an anti-ship missile, which was repelled", the fragments caused "a small fire".
In the bay,… https://t.co/8NUcfRv3tX pic.twitter.com/AC0wcdFxZM
Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine's navy, told Newsweek on Sunday that "explosions at military facilities will continue to occur in the temporarily occupied Crimea." He declined to specify which weapons system Kyiv used in the strike. Open-source intelligence accounts suggested a home-grown Neptune anti-ship missile may have been used. The ship is no longer operational, Pletenchuk said in a post to social media on Sunday.
Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russian-installed governor of Sevastopol, said on Sunday that Moscow's military had "repelled an attack by an anti-ship missile" earlier in the day along the north of the port city. "The falling fragments caused a small fire, which was quickly extinguished," Razvozhayev added.
Kyiv's wielding of naval drones and various types of missiles has been one of the most successful parts of Ukraine's war effort against Russia. Ukrainian officials estimate Moscow has lost around a third of its Black Sea Fleet.
In April 2022, Ukrainian missiles sunk the Black Sea Fleet flagship, the Moskva, and Kyiv has continued to zero in on Russian vessels in the more than two years of war since. Pletenchuk told Ukrainian outlet RBC on Sunday that the Kommuna was used to salvage parts from the sunken Moskva.
Since the start of the year, Ukraine has targeted a number of Russia's Black Sea fleet vessels. Kyiv has struck a handful of Russia's landing ships, a reconnaissance vessel, a corvette and a patrol ship since the beginning of 2024.
The persistent strikes on, and damage to, the Black Sea Fleet in Crimea has forced Russia to relocate many of its valuable vessels further east in the Black Sea, away from Ukraine's reach. Moscow is also using decoys and false silhouettes to ward off Ukrainian drone and missile strikes at its Black Sea facilities, the British government previously assessed.
The Russian Defense Ministry unveiled plans last month to add large-caliber machine guns to its fleet to intercept naval drones before they hit their targets.
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About the writer
Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine ... Read more
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