Putin humiliated as Ukraine destroys newly built warship in daring strike
Videos of Russia’s kamikaze attack on Vuhledar released
One of the Russian navy’s pride and joy, the newly-built Askold missile ship, has been destroyed in a devastating Ukranian missile strike.
The elite warship was struck in spectacular fashion while it sat in the Butoma shipyard in Kerch, Crimea.
The strike took place close to a major bridge linking the occupied peninsula to Russia.
The Ukrainian army launched 15 cruise missiles at the shipyard in a blistering onslaught on Saturday.
According to state media, Russia’s defence ministry admitted the attack, saying: “On November 4, the Ukrainian army launched 15 cruise missiles at the B.E. Butoma shipyard in the city of Kerch.”
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It added: “Air defence systems shot down 13 of the cruise missiles.
“As a result of being hit by an enemy cruise missile, a ship located at the plant was damaged.”
Russia did not say how badly the ship was damaged or name which ship was attacked.
However, new satellite images show the destructive aftermath of the strike on the Russian Black Sea Fleet vessel.
The images, obtained by Schemes, a project by US-funded Radio Liberty, show a before and after comparison of the shipyard.
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Ukrainian captain of the first rank navy reserve Andriy Ryzhenko said: “You can see that the ship still afloat, but the upper part of the ship is significantly damaged.”
The Askold missile ship, one of the most modern in Vladimir Putin’s navy, carries Kalibr-missiles and was poised to enter service imminently.
Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said: “The ship has not even taken part in sailing or combat yet – it was undergoing some final testing work, so that it could then go to sea and fight against our state.”
Mykola Oleshchuk, commander of Ukraine’s Air Force, said the vessel struck was “one of the most advanced ships of the Russian Navy.”
Crimea has become a frequent target for Ukraine during the war in recent months.
The Sevastopol headquarters of President Putin’s Black Sea Fleet was destroyed in a missile strike on 22 September.
A week prior, the Russian landing ship Minsk and the Rostov-on-Don Kilo-class attack submarine were hit by a combined cruise missile and drone strike on the Sevastopol shipyard.
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