Russian ship destroyed by cruise missiles from tactical aircraft – Air Force

The Novocherkassk, a large landing ship from the Russian Black Sea Fleet, has been destroyed near Feodosiia by cruise missiles from tactical aircraft belonging to Ukraine’s Air Force.

Source: Air Force on Telegram; Yurii Ihnat, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force in an interview with Radio Liberty

Quote from Ihnat: "[Targeted] with cruise missiles. What's there to specify? We don't have many of these weapons in our arsenal, and they were provided to us by our partners. Currently, people will be asking, by which [missile] specifically − ours or our partner's − because every manufacturer wants to showcase such results of their work. It's like advertising their achievements. We have Storm Shadow and Scalp in our arsenal."

Details: He added that to destroy such a ship, it was necessary to launch "clearly not just one missile" because "the enemy can intercept cruise missiles."

Ihnat also said that the significant explosion observed on the Russian ship indicates that it was not a "minor detonation of something there" but rather a "detonation of ammunition" because "a large landing ship is used to transport equipment, weapons, and personnel."

Ihnat also refuted Russian claims about the alleged downing of two Ukrainian Su-24s, adding that "Russians have even been 'destroying' F-16s in their reports for a long time." As is known, Ukraine has not yet acquired these fighter jets.

For reference: Earlier, the Defence Forces of Ukraine's South reported that the Novocherkassk landing ship is a Project 775 ship built by socialist Poland for the USSR from 1975 to 1991, designed for operations in the ocean. 

It is noted that the Kostiantyn Olshanskyi, a Ukrainian vessel similar to this one, was seized by Russian forces in Crimea in 2014. 

The first attempt to attack the Novocherkassk occurred on 24 March 2022, in the port of occupied Berdiansk.

Details: It was also reported that Ukrainian defenders had shot down 13 of 19 Russian Shahed attack drones launched on the evening of 25 December and overnight on 25-26 December.

The Russians launched the drones from the areas of Balaklava (Crimea) and Primorsko-Akhtarsk (Russia).

The Air Force notes that as a result, Ukrainian defenders destroyed 13 Shahed-136/131 attack UAVs within Odesa, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Khmelnytskyi oblasts.

Background: Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of the Air Force, confirmed that Ukrainian defenders had targeted the Novocherkassk in occupied Feodosiia. 

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