The city of Sevastopol in the occupied Crimean Peninsula remains in a state of lockdown today as Russian military personnel intensify their efforts to retrieve bodies from the rubble, following a Ukrainian missile attack.
The casualty count among military personnel is expected to rise significantly, possibly “reaching into the hundreds”, as the search and rescue operation continues, according to Igor Sushko from the Wind of Change Research Group.
Grisly discoveries of pulverised remains and body parts have been reported, painting a grim picture of the aftermath.
The latest escalation in the ongoing conflict occurred when Ukraine launched another missile attack on Sevastopol, a strategic city on the Black Sea, on Saturday morning. The attack came just one day after an attack on the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, which left one serviceman missing and the main building severely damaged.
Sevastopol was plunged into chaos as debris from intercepted missiles fell perilously close to a pier, prompting authorities to declare an air raid alert that lasted for approximately an hour. Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev conveyed this information through the messaging app Telegram. Furthermore, another missile fragment struck a park in northern Sevastopol, leading to the cordoning off of affected areas. Ferry traffic in the vicinity was temporarily halted and later resumed after security checks.
Reports of loud blasts and rising smoke clouds also emerged from the northern Crimean town of Vilne. These developments were documented by a pro-Ukraine Telegram news channel that closely monitors events on the peninsula. Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014 in a move widely condemned by the international community, has consistently been a target for Ukrainian forces since Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Ukrainian military has provided additional details regarding Friday’s missile attack on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters. According to their statement, the Air Force conducted a total of 12 strikes on the facility, specifically targeting areas where personnel, military equipment, and weapons were concentrated. As a result of these strikes, two anti-aircraft missile systems and four Russian artillery units were reportedly hit.
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