Ukrainian military sinks Black Sea Fleet’s sole remaining corvette capable of firing cruise missiles

The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) successfully hit and destroyed a Russian Karakurt-class corvette in the port of Sevastopol in Russian annexed Crimea on Sunday, according to a press briefing given by the AFU General Staff on Tuesday.

The General Staff said that Ukrainian military intelligence had been attempting to confirm the ship’s sinking since Sunday, explaining its delay in announcing the news.

Russian Telegram news channel ASTRA corroborated the Ukrainian statement, reporting that the port city of Sevastopol had been targeted by at least 12 US-supplied ATACMS missiles on Sunday, nine of which had been shot down. However, the report continued: “Three hit the pier, where the small missile ship Tsiklon was moored. The ship sank.” 

The Ukrainian Navy’s spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said that the Tsiklon had been the last remaining vessel in Russian-annexed Crimea capable of launching cruise missiles. 

The Ukrainian Navy also reported on Sunday that it had destroyed the 266-M Korovets, a Russian minesweeper ship, in the Black Sea. The Russian military has not yet commented on the AFU claims. 

The ongoing naval conflict in the Black Sea comes at a crucial moment for both Russia and Ukraine, as Russian forces continue their latest offensive in eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region while Kyiv grapples with serious funding and military equipment supply issues.