Ukrainian missile strike targets Sevastopol, hits rescue vessel and possibly a landing ship
Ukraine has launched a missile strike on a Russian military port in the occupied city of Sevastopol. On the morning of Sunday, April 21, residents of Sevastopol were jolted awake by the sounds of air-raid sirens and explosions, as the port was targeted.
Around 9 am local time, social media in Sevastopol was flooded with messages from alarmed residents reporting loud explosions. Coinciding with these reports was the news of the emergency closure of the Kerch Bridge.
Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Kremlin-appointed governor of the city, claimed that Russian air defenses had repelled the attack, but admitted that one of the ships had caught fire.
"The military repelled an anti-ship missile attack this morning on one of the ships on the northern side," claimed Razvozhayev. "Some shrapnel caused a minor fire, which was quickly extinguished."
Videos taken by port workers immediately after the attack have since surfaced online, contradicting Razvozhayev's narrative. According to them, the situation was not as Razvozhayev described.
"Just now, about 200 meters away, a missile slammed into a steamship. There it is, burning. Today is my second birthday... The blast was huge, right next to us," recounted an eyewitness.
The attack resulted in a fire aboard the Black Sea Fleet's rescue ship Kommuna. However, it may not have been the lone casualty of today's strike, reports the OSINT team CyberBoroshno.
Experts analyzed satellite images of Dock No. 15 in Holland Bay the day before the attack and noted the proximity of a large landing ship to the damaged Kommuna, suggesting that it may have been the intended principal target.
The ship in question is believed to be a Project 775 landing ship, possibly the "Yamal." Whether it sustained damage is currently unknown.
OSINT experts had earlier confirmed reports of a fire on the Russian Black Sea Fleet's Kommuna rescue vessel caused by the Ukrainian attack, validated by videos from the scene of the fire.
The extent of the damage to Kommuna is not clear. Russian forces claim the fire was minor, resulting from falling missile debris; however, this information lacks credibility.
Kommuna is the oldest active military vessel in the world, launched in 1913.
A spokesperson for the Ukrainian Naval Forces has confirmed the targeting of a vessel in comments to LIGA.net. "Confirmed. A strike has been carried out by the Naval Forces," emphasized Pletenchuk.