Ukraine says two Russian warships hit in nighttime attack on Crimea

Kyiv:

Ukraine said on Sunday it hit two Russian warships stationed on the annexed Crimean peninsula in overnight attacks, as the country suffered another “massive” Russian air strike.

Ukraine’s ally and neighbor Poland said a Russian cruise missile flying toward western Ukraine violated Ukrainian airspace overnight after putting its armed forces on high alert amid heavy Russian aviation activity.

“The Armed Forces of Ukraine successfully attacked the Yamal and Azov amphibious landing ships, communications centers and some infrastructure of the Black Sea Fleet,” the Strategic Communications Center of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Sunday.

Officials appointed by Moscow on the peninsula, which it seized in 2014, said their forces repelled a massive Ukrainian air strike late Saturday.

“This is the largest attack in recent years,” Mikhail Razvozaev, the Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol, said in a cable message.

He said a 65-year-old man was killed and four people were injured. He did not mention any damage to the Russian warship.

Video shared on social media showed a massive explosion in the city, sending fireballs and black smoke into the air as Russian air defenses appeared to intercept the incoming projectiles.

Ukraine claims to have destroyed about a third of Russia’s Black Sea fleet since the war began, often in attacks at night using sea-based drones loaded with explosives.

Satellite images show Russia has moved much of its fleet further east to the port of Novorossiysk amid a series of attacks.

Moscow also recently changed its naval commander.

“Destroy Kiev’s goals”

Earlier on Sunday, Ukrainian capital Kiev and western areas of Lviv were also hit by “large-scale” Russian air strikes, officials said, but no casualties were reported.

The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched 29 cruise missiles and 28 drones into its territory at night.

The company said it had shot down 18 missiles and 25 drones.

Russia has significantly escalated its air strikes on Ukraine in recent days, saying it was retaliation for a wave of attacks on its border.

In the early hours of Friday morning, Moscow launched its largest aerial attack on Ukraine’s energy sector since the war began, launching nearly 90 missiles and 60 drones.

Russia has also resumed attacks on Kiev, its first since early February.

Sergey Popko, head of the Kiev Military Administration, said on Telegram that Russia “will not give up its goal of destroying Kiev at any cost.”

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that it had launched a “collective strike” against Ukrainian military and energy targets overnight.

“All the goals of the strike have been achieved,” the statement said, claiming it had hit a weapons factory.

Polish airspace violated

Bridget Brinker, the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, also noted a recent increase in the frequency of attacks.

“Russia continues to launch drones and missiles indiscriminately, with no regard for millions of civilians, in violation of international law,” Brinker wrote on X.

Poland’s military said on Sunday that a Russian missile fired into western Ukraine had entered its airspace.

“A cruise missile launched by the Russian Federation Air Force at night violated Polish airspace,” the military posted on X.

“The object flew through Polish airspace over the village of Oserdow, Lublin Province, and remained there for 39 seconds,” the statement said.

The country’s Armed Forces Combat Command (RSZ) earlier said its forces were on high alert due to “intense long-range aviation activity in the Russian Federation this evening” as well as missile attacks from Ukraine.

Poland has been a staunch ally of neighboring Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Poland said on Sunday it would demand an explanation from Moscow.

territorial gain

On the battlefield, the Russian military is looking to leverage its advantages in manpower and ammunition as Kiev faces delays in additional Western aid.

Moscow claimed on Saturday it had seized a village on the western outskirts of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.

Last month, Russia captured Advivka near the Russian-controlled stronghold of Donetsk, its first major territorial advance since seizing the destroyed city of Bakhmut ten months ago.

Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the success as signaling a renewed offensive by Russian forces.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)