Ukrainian Offensive Impacts Russian Naval Capacity with Strike in Crimea

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The military of Russia has confirmed that a Ukrainian missile assault on a shipyard in the contested region of Crimea has resulted in damage to one of its ships.

Late on Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the Ukrainian forces launched 15 cruise missiles targeting the Zaliv shipyard located in Kerch, situated on the eastern part of the Crimean Peninsula. Despite the interception and destruction of 13 missiles by air defense systems, the remaining missiles succeeded in striking the shipyard, causing damage to a naval vessel, according to the Ministry’s announcement. However, the Ministry withheld specific information regarding the identity of the ship and the severity of the damage inflicted.

The vessel at the shipyard was identified by a local official as a “carrier of the Kalibr cruise missiles,” although it was not explicitly confirmed that this ship sustained damage during the attack.

Since the illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, the region has become a consistent target over the 20 months following President Vladimir Putin’s command to invade Ukraine. Crimea has been of strategic importance, acting as a pivotal logistical base in support of the offensive.

Ukraine’s strategy of targeting naval installations in Crimea has escalated recently. In an offensive in September, Ukrainian missiles struck a significant shipyard in Sevastopol, causing harm to two Russian vessels and injuring 24 individuals. Later that month, another missile attack severely damaged the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, also located in Sevastopol.

Following the recent strike, Andriy Yermak, the chief of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, reflected via a Telegram message on Sunday morning that the latest developments are indicative of the unsustainability of Russia’s Black Sea fleet’s presence in Crimea.

In related developments, the Ukrainian military reported a Russian missile attack in the Zaporizhzhia region late Friday, which resulted in military casualties and civilian injuries. The alleged Iskander ballistic missile attack has not been detailed publicly.

Social media circulated a video purporting to show the missile strike occurring at a gathering of soldiers during a commemorative ceremony for comrades. The precise casualty figures remain unverified, prompting Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to initiate a formal inquiry.

Another missile attack on October 5 in a Ukrainian village led to a tragic loss, with 59 civilians killed while attending a service for a local soldier who had perished in the conflict against Russian forces.

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