The head of the Ukrainian air force announced today that a landing craft of the Russian Black Sea fleet, which, according to Kiev, was carrying Iranian-designed drones, the weapon of choice of the Russian forces in the war, was destroyed, launching a missile strike at the port of Feodosia, on the Ukrainian peninsula Crimea.

“The large landing craft Navacherkask” was the ship that was “destroyed” by “air force pilots”, Mykola Oleschuk said via Telegram, thanking his men for their “excellent work” and expressing satisfaction that the Russian Black Sea Fleet is becoming “ever smaller”.

The Ukrainian air force also said that it was “said” that the landing craft was carrying remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicles of the “Shahed” type, which Russia is launching en masse against Ukraine.

Mr Oleschuk uploaded video capturing the moment a massive explosion and fire broke out on a ship at the Russian naval base in Feodosia, on the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.

Sergei Aksyonov, the Moscow-installed governor of the “Republic of Crimea”, said earlier via Telegram that “an enemy attack has taken place in the sector” where Feodosia is located, adding that “the port area has been cordoned off”, “the explosions have stopped ” and “the fire (they caused) was contained”.

“All competent emergency services are on site” and “residents of adjacent houses will be urgently removed” from the area, Mr. Axionov added at around 04:15 (local time; at 03:15 Greek time). more than an hour after the attack.

Ukraine frequently launches strikes in Crimea, specifically targeting the Black Sea Fleet. In April 2022, Kiev announced that it had sunk the cruiser Moscow, the flagship of the fleet.