Ukraine ‘launches missile strike on headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet’
Ukraine has carried out a missile strike on the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, with one serviceman missing, the Russian defence ministry has said.
The Russian-installed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said no one was injured outside the burning headquarters but did not provide information on other casualties.
Firefighters battled the blaze and more emergency forces were being brought in – an indication the fire could be massive.
Sevastopol residents said they heard explosions in the skies and saw smoke, Russian news outlets reported.
Images circulated in Ukrainian Telegram channels showed clouds of smoke over the seafront.
The Associated Press could not immediately verify the videos. Chief Foreign-Affairs Correspondent of The Wall Street Journal,Yaroslav Trofimov 24.3K posts See new posts Yaroslav Trofimov, shared this video of the alleged attack, on X.
A stream of ambulances arrived at the fleet’s headquarters and shrapnel was scattered hundreds of meters around, the Tass news agency reported.
The defence ministry said five missiles were shot down by Russian air defence systems responding to the attack on Sevastopol.
It was not immediately clear if the headquarters was hit in a direct strike or by debris from an intercepted missile.
Oleg Kryuchkov, an official with the Crimean administration, said one cruise missile downed near Bakhchysarai, about 18.5 miles inland, sparked a grass fire.
Mr Razvozhayev said civilian infrastructure was not damaged but did not mention the impact on the fleet headquarters.
He initially told Sevastopol residents another attack was possible and urged them not to leave buildings or go into the city centre.
He later said there was no longer any threat of an air strike but reiterated calls not to go to the central part of the city, saying roads were closed and unspecified “special efforts” were underway.
Police asked residents to leave the city centre, Tass said.
Ukrainian officials, who have claimed responsibility for a series of other recent attacks on Crimea, did not immediately announce Kyiv launched the strike.
The attack comes a day after Russian missiles and artillery pounded cities across Ukraine, killing at least five people as President Volodymyr Zelensky met US President Joe Biden and congressional leaders in Washington with an additional 24 billion dollar (£19.6 billion) aid package being considered.
The port city of Sevastopol serves as the main base for Russia’s Black Sea fleet.
A Ukrainian drone hit the fleet’s headquarters in July 2022, injuring six people and causing minor damage to the building.
Last week, the Russian-installed authorities in the city accused Ukraine of attacking a strategic shipyard in the city, damaging two ships undergoing repairs and causing a fire at the facility.
The Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014 in an act that most of the world considered illegal, has been a frequent target since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than 18 months ago.
The attack on the shipyard was the biggest in weeks.
In other developments, ongoing shelling in the southern Kherson region killed one man and injured another, said regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
“Kherson has been restless since the morning,” he said on Telegram.
Russian shelling sparked fires in a residential building and a garage.
In Kharkiv, regional governor Oleh Synyehubov said more than 14 settlements came under attack.
A house was damaged and a fire broke out in Vovchansk, in Chuguyiv district.
There were no casualties, the governor said.
Press Association – Samya Kullab and Dasha Litvinova, Associated Press