Ukrainian cruise missiles attack shipyards in Crimea

RIA Novosti quoted the Russian Defense Ministry 's announcement on November 5 that the country's air defense force shot down 13 out of 15 cruise missiles attacking the Zalyv shipyard in the port city of Kerch on the Crimean peninsula yesterday, November 4.

The announcement also said that a ship being repaired at the Zalyv plant was damaged in the attack by a missile hit.

Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-appointed head of Crimea, said there were no casualties in the attack on the shipyard in Kerch.

Zalyv shipyard in the port city of Kerch. (Photo: RIA Novosti)

AFP quoted a statement from the Ukrainian military as saying: "Ukrainian armed forces carried out a successful attack on maritime infrastructure and a shipyard in Kerch." The statement did not give details about the attack.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola O Meatchuk wrote on Telegram that a modern Russian navy warship was present at the Zalyv plant when the attack occurred. This ship can carry Kalibr cruise missiles.

“I hope another ship followed Moscow!” Meatchuk wrote on Telegram , referring to the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet that was reportedly sunk by a Ukrainian missile in April last year.

Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula after a 2014 referendum during the summer counter-offensive. Ukraine has repeatedly vowed to retake the peninsula at all costs.

Ukraine has recently launched several attacks using missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and suicide boats against Russian targets on or around the Crimean peninsula.

On October 30, Russian air defenses shot down all eight Storm Shadow cruise missiles that Ukraine launched at Crimea. Three days later, Russian forces shot down six Ukrainian UAVs approaching the peninsula.

Ukraine launched a missile attack on the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in the city of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula on September 22. Russian officials said the attack damaged the building housing the Black Sea Fleet headquarters.

Tra Khanh (Source: RIA Novosti, Al Jazeera)

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