Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, has been a frequent target of Ukrainian attacks during the 19-month dispute. The attacks, with drones and missiles, have intensified in recent weeks.
The last one, which left at least one person missing, took place yesterday Friday against the most strategic place in this strategic territory: the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, in the port city of Sevastopol. Kyiv claimed the action and said it had been a “success”.
The peninsula is essential for Russian military operations, both for the supply of troops operating in Ukraine and for launching missile attacks from the sea.
According to the governor of Sevastopol, Mikhaïl Razvojàiev, “the enemies launched an attack with missiles”. It was the third against the peninsula or its vicinity yesterday morning. According to Razvojayev, several fragments of a missile fell near a theater. But he assured that there were no civilian casualties or damage to public infrastructure.
The Russian Ministry of Defense, which initially announced the death of a soldier, specified that he was missing. The department also assured that the air defenses had managed to bring down a total of five missiles.
After a few hours of silence, the Ukrainian army celebrated this “successful attack against the headquarters of the command of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the temporarily occupied city of Sevastopol”. Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mikola Oleschuk thanked the pilots for the attack.
“It is requested not to go to the center of the city, not to leave the buildings. Everyone who is near the headquarters of the fleet, when the sirens sound, to go to the shelters”, said the head of Sevastopol. He explained that the attack had caused a fire. “The firefighters are taking all measures to eliminate the fire as soon as possible”, added the governor.
Hours before the governor’s statement, Russia claimed that Ukraine had attacked Crimea with guided air-to-air missiles. A missile and two drones could be intercepted off the western coast of Crimea. “At approximately 10:30 Moscow time, an attempt (…) by Kyiv to carry out a terrorist attack with guided missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation was stopped,” reported the Russian Ministry of Defense.
It was the second Ukrainian attack on the peninsula that morning, as Defense had already reported at 6:00 a.m. that two drones launched by Kyiv had been shot down near the southeast coast of Crimea and in the Tuapse region of the province from Krasnodar.
As a result, sea traffic was halted and land traffic was suspended on the Crimean bridge, which links the Black Sea peninsula to mainland Russia.
The headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet suffered another attack two months ago. On the morning of July 31, when Russia celebrates the Day of the Navy, “an unidentified object” struck the headquarters. As Razvojaev also said then, a wall was partially destroyed, there was damage to windows and facades and six people were injured.
A month later, on August 20, a drone managed to reach the facilities.
And, in mid-September, the Ukrainian army launched a missile attack against shipyards in Sevastopol. Two ships that were being repaired were damaged.
