Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the operation “a triumph” in his nightly address, adding: “It is a very significant achievement, well done!” Why has Ukraine stepped up its strikes on occupied Crimea?Īlso on Thursday, Ukrainian forces in the Crimean city Yevpatoria destroyed a Russian air defense complex in an overnight attack using cruise missiles and drones. Smoke rises from the shipyard that was reportedly hit by Ukrainian missile attack in Sevastopol, Crimea, in this still image from video taken September 13, 2023. “In the course of repelling the attack, five enemy unmanned boats were destroyed by fire,” a ministry statement said, though it did not make reference to any attack on a second patrol ship. Russia’s Defense Ministry also acknowledged that one of its ships, “Sergei Kotov,” had come under attack overnight. The General Staff said later Thursday that the strikes had caused “some damage.” The night vision footage appears to have been recorded from one of the drones as it moves towards the patrol ship, which appears to open fire as the attack vessels close in. The Defense Intelligence arm released video of the incident, showing what appears to be a Russian patrol ship coming under attack from naval drones. The ships were of the Project 22160 type in the southwestern part of the Black Sea, said a statement from Ukraine’s General Staff. Kyiv insists its strikes on naval bases and vessels in Crimea are an integral part of their counteroffensive strategy, intended to isolate the peninsula and make it more difficult for Russia to sustain its military operations on the Ukrainian mainland, a Ukrainian source familiar with the strategy told CNN.Ī day after the Sevastopol attack, Ukraine carried out another operation, attacking two ships in the early hours of Thursday morning. Smoke rises from the shipyard that was hit by a Ukrainian attack in Sevastopol, Crimea, on September 13, 2023.

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