Scores of Russian Sailors MIA After Crimea Landing Ship Blast: Report

Several sailors aboard Russia's Novocherkassk landing ship remain unaccounted for, according to a new report, after Ukraine targeted the vessel in a strike early on Tuesday.

A total of 77 sailors were on board the large landing ship in the eastern Crimean port of Feodosia when it was targeted by cruise missiles, Russian-language Telegram channel Astra reported. Of these, 33 are missing and 23 people were wounded, with one person killed in the strikes, Astra reported on early on Wednesday.

The Russian-installed governor of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, had said on Tuesday that one person was killed and two others were injured in the strike, adding that several buildings in the area were damaged. He has not since provided an update on reported casualties. One person was killed and four were injured, Russian state news agency Tass reported, also on Tuesday.

Newsweek has approached the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.

The Ukrainian strike on the Novocherkassk was the latest in Kyiv's long list of attacks on Crimea, the peninsula Russia has controlled since 2014 but Ukraine has vowed to reclaim. Russia uses Crimea as a base for its Black Sea naval fleet and to launch attacks on mainland Ukraine.

Using Western-supplied cruise missiles and different types of drones, Kyiv has repeatedly targeted Moscow's naval assets, managing to sink the flagship Moskva in April 2022 and taking out a Russian submarine in September 2023.

During the course of the all-out war in the country, Kyiv has damaged a number of Moscow's landing ships, such as the Minsk, the Saratov and the Olenegorsky Gornyak.

Kyiv's success in denting the Black Sea fleet is an embarrassment and an operational blow to Russia. In the wake of the attack, Britain's defense minister, Grant Shapps, said the Kremlin has lost 20 percent of its Black Sea fleet in the past four months, adding: "Russia's dominance in the Black Sea is now challenged."

Ukraine used cruise missiles to attack the landing ship at around 2:30 a.m. local time (7:30 p.m. ET) on Tuesday, Kyiv's air force said in a statement. Ukrainian officials suggested Western-supplied air-launched Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles were used in Tuesday's attack.

"A brilliant special operation was carried out, strikes were carried out, we outsmarted the Russians, and we continue to do so now," Ukrainian air force spokesperson Colonel Yuriy Ihnat told Radio Svoboda. "Western weapons plus well-planned tactical operations lead to results," he added.

Footage purportedly showing the attack quickly circulated online, including one clip shared by the head of Ukraine's air force, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleschuk, in which a giant fireball bursts into the night sky.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.