A Ukrainian missile attack on the Russian navy’s Black Sea fleet headquarters on Friday killed and injured “dozens” of Russian troops, including a number of senior officials, Ukraine’s armed forces claimed on Saturday.
The claim, which couldn’t be verified, came as another rocket attack was launched on the Crimean city of Sevastopol, where the fleet is based, on Saturday. The Russia-installed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said on Telegram that debris from intercepted missiles fell near a pier during the latest assault.
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces said on Telegram that more details of Friday’s missile attack would be communicated “when possible.” The strike was in the city of Sevastopol in Crimea, the region of Ukraine occupied illegally by Russia in 2014 and which extends into the Black Sea.
Ukraine’s intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov told U.S. broadcaster Voice of America that at least nine people were killed and another 16 were injured in the attack.
According to Budanov, Russian Colonel-General Alexander Romanchuk was in “very serious condition,” while chief of staff Lieutenant General Oleg Tsekov was unconscious, Voice of America reported. Budanov didn’t, however, confirm reports that the Black Sea Admiral Viktor Sokolov had been killed in the attack, the broadcaster said. The claims could not be verified.
The Sevastopol governor confirmed that the headquarters had been attacked in a message on Telegram on Friday.
Russia’s defense ministry initially said one servicemember was killed in the assault but then changed his status to missing, the Associated Press reported.
