Ukraine has targeted a Russian shipyard in Sevastopol port on the Crimean peninsula with 10 missiles and 3 speedboats, injuring two dozen people and causing severe damage to the port, according to the Russian defense ministry.
In a statement on the Telegram messaging app on Wednesday, the ministry said that seven missiles were downed by Russia’s air defense systems, and all three boats were destroyed by a patrol ship.
“As a result of being hit by enemy cruise missiles, two ships under repair were damaged,” the ministry said.
Mikhail Razvozhayev, the governor of Sevastopol, the largest city in Crimea and a major Black Sea port, said on Telegram that at least 24 people were injured.
“All emergency services are working on the site, there is no danger to civilian objects in the city,” Razvozhayev said.
Ukrainian unmanned marine drones have carried out multiple attacks targeting Sevastopol harbor.
The strategic port builds and repairs ships and submarines of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
The Black Sea Fleet lost its flagship, the guided missile cruiser Moskva, in April last year when it was struck by Ukrainian anti-ship missiles.
Kiev has also repeatedly targeted the two bridges linking Crimea to the mainland.
The Crimean Peninsula, which rejoined Russia after a referendum in 2014, has recently come under fierce attacks.
Kiev has increased its cross-border missile and drone strikes against Russian targets following its hugely-publicized abortive counteroffensive.
The West, the United States in particular, has supplied Ukraine with tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons and munitions to fight against the Russian nation since last February when Moscow launched its military campaign in Donbas to stop NATO’s encroachment.
Moscow has now and then warned against flooding Kiev with weapons and munitions, saying it will only prolong the conflict.
