An early morning attack on a shipyard in Russian-occupied Crimea has caused a major fire and has damaged at least two Russian ships. Reports say that Ukrainian missiles and drones hit the Sevastopol dry dock facility in a wave. At roughly the same time, Russia launched a drone attack on Ukrainian port facilities near Odesa. From the Associated Press:
"The attack in the port city of Sevastopol, which serves as the main base for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, took place as Moscow launched drones against southern Ukraine’s Odesa region. The pre-dawn onslaught there damaged port and civilian infrastructure in the region’s Izmail district — not far from the Crimean city — and wounded seven people, three seriously, Gov. Oleh Kiper said.
Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted 32 of 44 Shahed-type drones launched over the country overnight, most of them directed toward the southern parts of the Odesa region. [snip]
Wednesday’s attack on the Sevastopol Shipyard attack appeared to be one of the biggest in recent weeks. Russia’s Defense Ministry said Ukraine launched 10 cruise missiles at the shipyard and three sea drones at Russian ships in the Black Sea.
The shipyard is of strategic importance to Russia because vessels in its Black Sea fleet are repaired there. [snip]
Ukraine’s RBC-Ukraine news outlet reported, citing unnamed sources in Ukrainian military intelligence, that an amphibious landing ship and a submarine were damaged in the attack. Some Russian messaging app channels made the same claim." (our emphasis)
Apparently, Putin pal Elon Musk couldn't protect his friends from attack this time. Ukraine is reported to be developing longer-range cruise missiles and drones of its own to reach Russian command centers and weapons depots well behind the lines. Also, the Biden Administration is reported to be close to supplying long-range ATACMS rocketry to Ukraine capable of reaching targets in Russian-occupied Crimea, something Ukraine has requested for many months.
BONUS: Here's one of the ships destroyed --
The Ukrainian Army destroyed a Russian Ropucha Class Landing Ship in a missile strike against the dry-docks of Sevastopol today.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) September 13, 2023
It's not some small vessel.
Big success for the Armed Forces of Ukraine! pic.twitter.com/FlMQnrYoax
(photo: Sevastopol shipyard after attack. Ukraine Fights / Telegram)
