At least one person was killed, and five others were injured after Ukrainian forces conducted cruise missile strikes overnight on the Russian landing warship in Feodosia, Black Sea, on Tuesday. This information was reported by the Interfax news agency, with President Vladimir Putin being briefed on Kyiv’s latest assault on Christmas Eve.
Ukrainian forces are said to have used air-launched missiles to target the Crimean port of Feodosia, according to Russian media. Kremlin officials have confirmed Minister Sergei Shoigu briefed President Putin in response to the attack.
Yuriy Ihnat, the Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson, spoke to Radio Free Europe, expressing his doubts about the Novocherkassk’s ability to re-enter service. The ship, designed to carry tanks, armoured vehicles, and land troops ashore, suffered significant damage. “We can see how powerful the explosion was, what the detonation was like. After that, it’s very hard for a ship to survive,” Ihnat remarked, noting that the detonation resulted from munitions rather than a direct rocket hit.
Aftermath and Further Escalations
Following the assault, about 250 rescue workers were deployed to the scene. The attacked Novocherkassk could transport 10 main battle tanks and 340 troops. It is important to note that a similar weapon was used in the September attack on a military dock in Sevastopol, impacting the Rostov-on-Don submarine and the Minsk landing ship.
In a separate but related event, Russian forces claimed to have downed two Ukrainian Su-24 jets near Mykolai. Additionally, Russia recently announced the capture of Maryinka, a strategic city in the Donetsk People’s Republic and a key stronghold for Kyiv forces.
