Ukraine's military intelligence has claimed responsibility for an attack targeting two Russian large landing ships docked in Sevastopol Bay, located in Russian-occupied Crimea, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
The strikes represent the latest in a series of Ukrainian operations aimed at degrading Russian naval capabilities in the Black Sea region. Sevastopol, Crimea's largest city, serves as the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet and has been a frequent target of Ukrainian long-range strikes since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Naval campaign in the Black Sea
Large landing ships are significant military assets used to transport troops, armored vehicles, and equipment to coastal areas. Strikes against vessels of this type, if confirmed, would continue a pattern of Ukrainian efforts to weaken Russia's ability to project amphibious power in the region.
Ukraine has previously claimed several successful strikes against Black Sea Fleet vessels, including attacks it says sank or damaged multiple warships. Russia has largely relocated portions of its fleet further east following earlier Ukrainian strikes on Sevastopol.
Broader context of ongoing hostilities
The reported naval strike comes amid continued exchanges of attacks between the two sides. Al Jazeera's reporting described both Ukraine and Russia trading deadly strikes in the broader conflict during the same period, underscoring the ongoing intensity of the war.
Ukraine has increasingly relied on domestically produced naval drones and long-range missile systems to target Russian military infrastructure in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. Kyiv and its Western allies do not recognize the annexation as legitimate.
Independent verification of the claimed strike was not immediately available. Russia had not publicly confirmed any damage to vessels in Sevastopol at the time of the report. Both sides in the conflict routinely claim battlefield successes that are difficult to verify in real time.
The Black Sea Fleet has faced sustained pressure throughout the conflict. In 2023, Ukraine claimed the sinking of the Moskva guided-missile cruiser, which Russia acknowledged had sunk, though the two sides offered differing accounts of the cause.
