Ukrainian forces launched an extensive attack on a ship repair facility in the Crimean port of Sevastopol overnight, according to both the Russian Defense Ministry and Ukrainian accounts.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that the Ukrainian armed forces “launched a strike with 10 cruise missiles against the S. Ordzhonikidze ship repair plant in the city of Sevastopol.” It added that Ukraine “sent three uncrewed boats at a detachment of Black Sea Fleet ships on a sea crossing.”
It claimed that air defense forces shot down seven cruise missiles, and a patrol ship destroyed all the uncrewed boats — but acknowledged that “two ships under repair were damaged by enemy cruise missiles.”

Fire breaks out: The Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhaev, also confirmed a substantial attack in messages overnight, saying missile strikes caused a fire.

He said 24 people were injured, with four in “moderate condition.”

Videos and images purportedly from the area, some posted by Razvozhaev, show a large plume of smoke and a fire raging.

One unofficial Russian military blogger also said that two ships were damaged: a diesel-electric submarine, Rostov-on-Don, and the large landing ship Minsk, which caught fire. Both vessels were undergoing repairs in dry docks.

It’s not possible to independently verify the account. Another unofficial account claimed that Ukraine had used British-made Storm Shadow missiles.

Ukrainian message: The commander of Ukraine’s air force, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, thanked the Ukrainian Air Force pilots “for their excellent combat work” on Wednesday, adding that “the occupiers are still recovering from the night-time bombardment in Sevastopol.”

The attack appears to have been the most ambitious yet launched on the port by Ukrainian forces. There have been previous drone attacks on Sevastopol, as well as attempts to penetrate the harbor with maritime drones.