Ukraine claims to have attacked Russia's Black Sea fleet headquarters

The Ukrainian military said it had attacked the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea fleet near Sevastopol in Crimea.

The Ukrainian military confirmed that the attack on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters on September 20 was “successful” but did not provide details. Ukrainian military intelligence official Andriy Yusov said the same day that the attack was planned in advance.

Meanwhile, Mikhail Razvozhayev, Mayor of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula, announced that air defense systems had intercepted a missile attack on the city. Mr. Razvozhayev said officials were assessing the damage after the incident.

Smoke rises from a shipyard hit by a Ukrainian missile in Sevastopol, Crimea, on September 13. Photo: Reuters — Smoke rises from a shipyard hit by a Ukrainian missile in Sevastopol, Crimea, on September 13. Photo: *Reuters*

Sevastopol's mayor said earlier that the city's air defense systems shot down several unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and that the debris fell in the suburbs of Verkhnosadove and Kacha without causing any casualties.

Crimea has been under constant attack recently, and Ukrainian sources also say that raids on the peninsula are an "integral part" of their counter-offensive strategy.

Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula after a referendum in 2014. Moscow said the results showed that most Crimeans wanted to become part of Russia. However, Ukraine and Western countries considered the move illegal. Kiev has vowed to take Crimea back "at all costs", including by military means.

On September 13, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the Ukrainian military had launched cruise missiles at a Russian shipyard in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, damaging two warships under repair, adding that they would be restored and returned to service. Meanwhile, Ukraine said the attack damaged a Russian submarine and a landing ship so badly that they were "beyond repair."

The raid on the port of Sevastopol is considered a heavy blow to the Russian navy's operational capacity in the Black Sea, as the country's fleet depends heavily on the strategic base and shipyard on the Crimean peninsula.