BIG BLOW

Ukraine Says It Destroyed Key Russian Warship in Crimea

Russia confirmed the Novocherkassk landing ship took a hit from an “aircraft-guided missile.”

The Ukrainian military said Tuesday that it destroyed a major Russian warship docked in Russian-occupied Crimea. Russia has yet to confirm that the Novocherkassk, a landing ship in the Black Sea Fleet, was fully taken out but admitted it’d sustained damage from “aircraft-guided missiles,” according to the Tass state news agency. Unconfirmed video of the attack taken by locals shows a massive explosion in the distance, with a fire quickly erupting. Sergie Aksyonov, the Russian-backed head of Crimea, said one person died and two others were injured in the assault in Feodosia. “The fleet in Russia is getting smaller and smaller!” Ukraine's Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk cheered in a Telegram post. Ukraine’s Air Force reportedly suspected the Novocherkassk was holding Iranian-made attack drones.