Ukrainian cruise missile strikes in Black Sea damage Russian warship

Russian Defence Ministry said Tuesday that its ship was targeted by the Ukrainian forces in Feodosia, Black Sea by cruise missile strikes killing one person and damaging the vessel Novocherkassk as both sides continue to inflict maximum damage upon each other amid Christmas.

The Russian media Interfax reported that Ukraine had used air-launched missiles to attack the Crimean port of Feodosia.

According to the Kremlin, the Russian President was also briefed about the Ukrainian attack by the minister Sergei Shoigu.

Yuriy Ihnat, Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson while speaking to Radio Free Europe said that he thought it would be hard for the Novocherkassk — which can carry tanks and armoured vehicles and be used to land troops ashore — to re-enter service.

"We can see how powerful the explosion was, what the detonation was like. After that, it’s very hard for a ship to survive, because this was not a rocket, this is the detonation of munitions," he said.

The spokesperson also said that Ukraine had used cruise missiles in the attack, without specifying the kind. Such weapons had been provided by Britain and France to Ukraine.

During the military contact between the two forces of the warring parties, Russian anti-aircraft weaponry destroyed two Ukrainian Su-24 jets near the city of Mykolai, Moscow said.

As a result of the Ukrainian cruise missile attack, at least five people were injured with as many as 250 rescue workers responding to the situation.

Landing ships are used mainly for transporting large military cargoes and land forces during operations. The damaged Novocherkassk was able to carry 10 main battle tanks and 340 troops.

A similar kind of weapon was also used during the September attack on a military dock in Sevastopol, in which the Kilo-class diesel-electric attack submarine Rostov-on-Don and the Ropucha-class landing ship Minsk suffered a hit.

Earlier this week, Russia claimed to take control of the Ukrainian strategic city of Maryinka in the Donetsk People’s Republic — a major stronghold of the Kiyv forces.