A UKRAINIAN missile is thought to have struck Putin’s oldest naval vessel in a massive blow to Russia’s forces in Crimea.
Footage showed flames and smoke billowing out from the 112-year-old warship in the occupied port of Sevastopol this morning.
Russian warship Kommuna, reportedly hit this morning by a Ukrainian missile
Footage of the ship burning in Sevastopol port
Launch of the Kommuna in St Petersburg, November 1913
The Kommuna was being prepped to salvage Russia’s beloved Moskva – downed by Ukraine missiles two years ago
Explosions hit the area as Russians were forced to issue a missile warning and close Putin’s prized Crimea bridge.
Fire engines reportedly rushed to the port to put out the blaze.
A caption under the dramatic video, shared by Astra on Telegram, said: “The rocket hit the ship. See, it’s burning.”
The vessel hit by Ukraine is thought to be Kommuna, the world’s oldest navy vessel and a prized member of Putin’s Black Sea fleet.
First launched in 1913, it’s an impressive target for Ukrainian forces after surviving two world wars.
Russian governor of the occupied region, Mikhail Razvozhayev, was forced to admit an anti-ship missile had been launched – sparking a fire.
He claimed that it was “quickly extinguished”, but Ukrainian assaults on Russian Black Sea vessels have had great success in recent months.
So much so that Russia has even withdrawn almost all of its major ships from the ports in occupied Crimea.
One outlet said a Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship strike had damaged the ship – prompting Russian claims that the missile was shot down and resulting debris had sparked the minor blaze.
The Kommuna was apparently being prepped to salvage Putin’s beloved sunken Moskva warship.
An open-source intelligence analyst said it was likely “carrying [a] deep-diving submersible”.
The flagship vessel was downed by a Ukrainian missile strike in April 2022, marking a serious and early indicator of Vlad’s Black Sea failures in the face of impressive Kyiv force hits.
Ukraine’s efforts have grown more and more creative as it takes impressive chunks out of Russia’s Black Sea fleet.
By combining powerful missiles like the one used here, with kamikaze sea drones, Zelensky‘s army has impressively chipped away at Vlad’s beloved warships.
Security experts have said Ukraine’s smart and aggressive approach has effectively eroded the Russia fleet – much as they have done with tanks across the frontline.
Ukraine has used a combination of conventional missile strikes mixed with more ambitious raids with sea drones.
In response to sustained attacks, Russia has moved some of its warship fleet to Novorossiysk, in the south, away from ports like Odesa in Ukraine and Sevastopol in Crimea.
GettyThe Kommuna is the oldest warship in the world[/caption]
Ukraine has had great success in targeting Russia’s Black Sea fleet – here the Novocherkassk warship burns in Crimea
Leave a comment
