UpdateWhat is the real condition of the ‘Novocherkassk’? That was the question asked this morning after Ukraine once again managed to hit a Russian warship in occupied Crimea. Kiev said it was “completely destroyed,” while Moscow said it was only “damaged.” New images now make it clear what the ship is really in.
Russia’s installed governor, Sergei Aksjonov, confirmed news of the attack early this morning, after Russian news media reported on Telegram that loud explosions were heard near the Black Sea port city of Feodosia.
According to state news agency RIA Novosti, the stricken ship was the ‘Novocherkassk’, a landing ship 112 meters long. It could carry a load of 500 tons (including armored vehicles, such as tanks) and 225 soldiers. It had artillery on board and a portable anti-aircraft missile system.
It was damaged once last year while in port. And “damaged” was also the term the Russian Ministry of Defense used this morning when it confirmed to RIA Novosti that the ship had actually been hit. The reality, as it turns out, is very different.
Fact-checkers who check images based on public sources shared a photo of the place where the ‘Novocherkassk’ was moored, showing that virtually nothing remains of the ship.
Read more below the photo.
The Ukrainian air force already claimed responsibility for the airstrike. Ukrainian Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said on Telegram that the action was the work of Ukraine. The Russian landing ship was reportedly hit with cruise missiles around 2:30 this morning.
This afternoon, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense sneered on X that Ukrainian warriors had converted the large landing ship: “It is now a submarine,” he said scornfully.
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As a result of the attack, a fire broke out in the city’s port area, Governor Aksjonov said this morning. “The port area has been cordoned off. Currently the explosions have stopped and the fire is under control. All relevant emergency services are on site. Residents of several houses are being evacuated.”
Rubble
The fact that the explosion must have been violent can be seen from images from local media. These show a piece of metal from the ship, located no less than 650 meters from the ship. According to local media, it is one meter deep in the ground and such debris can be found throughout the port city.
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“Unfortunately, one person was killed and two others were injured by the enemy attack on Feodosia,” Aksjonov later reported. Six buildings were also damaged, he said.
Fighter planes
Russia, in turn, claims it destroyed two Ukrainian Su-24 fighter jets, which fired missiles, during the attack. This happened thanks to air defense systems, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. These reports could not yet be independently verified.
Read more below the photo.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has now informed President Putin of the “damage” suffered by the warship. That’s what Russian state news agencies say. “Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to Vladimir Putin about the Ukrainian army’s attack on Feodosia and the damage suffered by the large landing craft ‘Novocherkassk’,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agency TASS .
In March last year, the Ukrainian armed forces also launched an airstrike on the port of occupied Berdyansk. They then declared that they had destroyed the landing ship ‘Saratov’ of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and damaged the landing ships ‘Caesar Kunikov’ and ‘Novocherkassk’.
On April 14 last year, Ukraine also managed to sink the Russian flagship Moskva. And in October, the Ukrainian military reported that the Russian flagship Admiral Makarov had been hit.
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