CNN
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Ukraine launched a missile attack on the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, killing one soldier, the Russian-appointed governor of Crimea’s Sevastopol said on Friday.
“The enemy launched a missile attack on the naval headquarters,” Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Rasvozhayev said in a telegram.
Over the past month, Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian military bases and other installations in Crimea, including air defenses.
Sevastopol, home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet headquarters, is one of the largest cities on the Crimean peninsula and was illegally annexed by Moscow’s forces in 2014.
The Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) reported that one Russian soldier was killed as a result of the missile attack.
“This afternoon the Kiev regime launched a missile attack on the city of Sevastopol,” the MOD tweeted.
“While repelling the missile attack, five missiles were shot down by air defense systems. As a result of the attack, the historic headquarters building of the Black Sea Fleet was damaged. According to available information, one soldier has been killed,” the MOD said.
Debris was “scattered hundreds of meters” following the missile strike, Russian state media TASS reported. TASS added that numerous ambulances were on their way to the scene of the attack.
Rasvozayev also said that a piece of shrapnel fell near the Lunacharsky Theater.
The Russian-appointed governor said operational services had gone to the scene of the attack and information on casualties was being clarified.
In an update late Friday, Razvozhayev said there was no “missile and aircraft risk” following the incident.
Razvozhayev earlier warned that another attack was possible and encouraged residents to avoid the city center.
Ukrainian authorities have yet to comment on the incident.
Over the past month, Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian military bases and other installations in Crimea, including air defenses.
In recent weeks, Ukraine launched a missile attack on a shipyard in Sevastopol. Officials said a Russian S-400 missile system was destroyed in Crimea and most recently a Russian command post near Sevastopol was destroyed on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, Andrii Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s defense intelligence, told Ukrainian television that “Crimea is still used, among other things, as a logistical hub for the transfer of enemy forces to other areas.” In order to destroy this logistics center, certain operations are deployed and implemented: at sea, on land and in the air.”
