The Ukrainian air force attacked the large landing ship Novocherkassk, which was located in Crimea, said the commander of the air forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Mikola Oleshchuk. The head of Crimea, Sergei Aksenov, wrote about the attack in Feodosia.
“And the fleet in Russia is getting smaller! This time, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the cruiser Moskva, is followed by the large landing ship Novocherkassk. Thanks to the air force pilots and everyone involved for their meticulous work,” wrote Oleschuk.
The lieutenant general accompanied the publication with a video in which a powerful explosion is visible and heard. After the flash and crash, people close the window and say the word “ship” several times. “This is a port one hundred percent, it’s not a ship, it’s right behind the house. It’s already become warm,” the man added.
According to the daily report of the Ukrainian Air Force Command, the cruiser was attacked by cruise missiles at about half past two on the night of December 26. The Ukrainian military claims that the ship «Novocherkassk» was destroyed.
Aksenov did not specify what exactly was damaged in the explosion. He wrote: “An enemy attack was carried out in the Feodosia area. The port area is cordoned off. At this moment, the detonation has stopped and the fire has been localized.”
The head of the region reported one death and two injuries. As Aksenov noted, six buildings were damaged. In addition, the Ministry of Defense confirmed that the large landing ship Novocherkassk was damaged, RIA Novosti reports.
Later, the agency, citing Dmitry Peskov, clarified that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to Vladimir Putin about the attack on Feodosia port and damage to the cruiser. At the same time, it is still unknown how much Novocherkassk was damaged and what kind of damage it had.
The Crimean Wind Telegram channel published photographs of buildings near the port of Feodosia. Most of them had their windows broken. In particular, the railway station was damaged. According to the channel's authors, more than 350 people were evacuated from houses closest to the port.
Updated at 9:53 and 12:43. Added information about the dead, injured and damaged buildings. Later it became known that Shoigu reported the attack on Feodosia to the president.