Ukraine’s navy claims it has likely destroyed the last of Russia’s cruise missile carriers operating out of the crucial Black Sea peninsula of Crimea.In remarks made to Radio Free Europe, Ukraine’s navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said the navy was currently trying to verify whether or not it had destroyed the small missile carrier “Tsiklon” on Saturday.If confirmed, it would mean there is no longer a Russian missile carrier based out of the key peninsula, he told the outlet.Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and it is home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet headquarters at Sevastopol.According to KCHF.ru, a Russian site that closely follows news of the Black Sea Fleet, the Tsiklon only entered into service in July.The vessel’s launcher enables cruise missile strikes against ground targets at a distance of up to 1,500 miles, it said.Pletenchuk, in his interview with Radio Free Europe, said that the Tsiklon may have been hit in addition to the Russian minesweeper “Kovrovets.”
The Ukrainian navy earlier claimed to have destroyed the minesweeper in Saturday’s attack, hailing it as “another bad day for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.”Ukraine has not provided further details of the attack, such as where it took place or what weaponry was used. However, subsequent reports have noted the ships were based out of Sevastopol.Russia has not commented on any damage to its ships, saying on Saturday only that it shot down nine ATACMS missiles and one drone over Crimea.Business Insider was unable to independently confirm the claims.Crimean Wind, a pro-Ukrainian group that monitors information in Crimea, noted on Telegram that on the night of the claimed attack a ship of similar length to the Tsiklon disappeared from satellite imagery at Sevastopol.Pro-Russian Telegram channel Spy Dossier, citing its own sources, also said the Tsiklon had been struck.Separate analyses of open-sourced social media posts by Radio Svoboda, published on Monday, raised the possibility that the Tsiklon, and not the Kovrovets, was hit.The Ukrainian navy did not immediately respond to BI’s request for comment.If the Tsiklon was destroyed, it would be a blow to Russia, with the rest of its missile carriers now based at Novorossiysk, Pletenchuk said.Last year, Russia relocated much of its Black Sea Fleet from Sevastopol, its home port, to Novorossiysk, hundreds of miles away on the Russian coast.The move came amid Ukraine’s ongoing campaign against Russian Black Sea ports and warships, using cruise missiles and drones.In April, Ukraine claimed to have destroyed or damaged a third of the Russian fleet.
