Ukraine has dealt a significant blow to Vladimir Putin after attacking his fleet with a 10-missile and unmanned boats strike this week.
Kyiv’s defense forces confirmed they carried out an overnight airstrike on Russian boats docked in the Crimean port of Sevastopol, damaging a landing ship and a submarine as well as a repair facility.
Russia claimed its troops intercepted seven of the ten missiles launched at the port but conceded in a Telegram post they had suffered damages in the attack.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the strike could ultimately have “reverberating impacts” on Moscow and leave the dry dock “inoperable” until fully cleared.
In its latest assessment of the state of play, the ISW said: “The apparent destruction of the two vessels will likely render the dry dock inoperable until Russian forces can clear the debris, which may take a significant amount of time.
“The extent of the damage to Sevmorzavod’s repair facilities beyond the dry dock is unclear, and any damage to one of the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s main repair facilities in occupied Crimea will likely have reverberating impacts in the event of further Ukrainian strikes on Russian naval assets.”
Former Ukrainian naval captain Andriy Ryzhenko said this week’s missile strike in the Black Sea was “impressive” and suggested Putin’s men “did not expect such a powerful” attack.
He told Newsweek: “It’s really demoralizing for the Russian military, and also reducing their combat potential.”
The attack comes as speculation grows about an imminent attempt by Ukraine to reclaim the peninsula after nearly 10 years under Russian control.
While Kyiv focused its efforts on reclaiming territories occupied after the February 2022 invasion, strikes on Russian targets in Crimea have steadily increased.
The Kerch Bridge that links the illegally-annexed peninsula to Russia proper was shut down for the third time in a year following the attack on Sevastopol.
The bridge was targeted directly in October 2022 and July 2023. On both occasions, Ukraine did not directly claim responsibility.
Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to do all he could to bring back Crimea and has urged international allies to support the effort.
The strike came 48 hours after Kyiv claimed to have recaptured strategic gas and oil drilling platforms from Russia in the Black Sea and claimed gains in occupied areas near Bakhmut.
The recapture of the so-called Boyko Towers platforms provides an energy source and takes back an asset that Russia seized in 2015 and used to launch helicopters, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said.
Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to do all he could to bring back Crimea and has urged international allies to support the effort.
The strike came 48 hours after Kyiv claimed to have recaptured strategic gas and oil drilling platforms from Russia in the Black Sea and claimed gains in occupied areas near Bakhmut.
“Russia has been deprived of the ability to fully control the waters of the Black Sea, and this makes Ukraine many steps closer to regaining Crimea,” the Main Intelligence Directorate said.
Russian military bloggers posted that the platforms had been uninhabited for more than a year and a Ukrainian operation to briefly land troops there last month wasn’t followed by a lasting military presence and came at a heavy cost for Ukraine, a claim that couldn’t be independently verified.
In fighting, Ukrainian forces liberated part of the Donetsk province town of Optyne and advanced on the towns of Klishchiivka and Andriivka south of Bakhmut, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said.
Combat has persisted on the outskirts of Bakhmut since Ukrainian troops pulled out of the city in May.
Ukraine is trying to gain the high ground in Klishchiivka, to establish artillery control over Bakhmut.
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