Ukraine's air force says it has destroyed a Russian navy ship off the Crimean peninsula believed to be carrying unmanned aerial vehicles used in Moscow's war against Kiev.
"At around 2:30 a.m. (00:30 GMT) on December 26, tactical aviation of the Air Force attacked with cruise missiles the large amphibious ship Novocherkassk of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation in the Feodosia region," it said in a statement on the Telegram messaging platform.
Feodosia is home to a large Russian naval base on the occupied Crimean peninsula.
In an earlier announcement, it said the Novocherkassk had been "destroyed," adding that "people say it was carrying Shahed," referring to the Iranian explosive-laden drones regularly used by Russia against Ukraine.
Air Force Commander Nikolai Olechchuk released a video of a fiery explosion at the Russian naval base in Feodosia.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Kremlin-backed leader of Crimea, said: "There has been an enemy attack in the Feodosia region."
"The port area is cordoned off," he wrote on Telegram.
"At the moment, the detonations have stopped and the fire has been contained. All the relevant services are on site. The residents of several houses will be evacuated."
Ukraine has frequently launched strikes in Crimea, particularly targeting the Russian military.
In April 2022, she sank the cruiser "Moscow", the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet. /BGNES
