The Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a missile attack on the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol

On the afternoon of September 22, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) launched a missile attack on the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet. The Russian Ministry of Defense first reported one dead serviceman, then the information was clarified: for now he is listed as missing.

“During the repulsion of a missile attack, five missiles were shot down by air defense systems. As a result of the attack, the historical building of the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet was damaged,” the military department’s Telegram channel says.

The first to report the attack on Crimea at 13:20 Moscow time was Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev in his Telegram channel. “A fragment fell near the Lunacharsky Theater,” he added. The governor urged not to post photos and videos of the strike and its consequences.

A little later, at 13:39, Razvozhaev warned about the possibility of a second attack and asked citizens not to travel to the city center or leave buildings. At 14:12, the governor announced the end of the missile and aviation threat, but emphasized the need to take certain precautions: “Roads are blocked, a number of special events are underway.”

Razvozhaev also said that a fire was being extinguished at the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet. According to preliminary information, neither the civilian infrastructure around the building nor the people who were near it on the street during the strike were injured. The police cordoned off the territory of the Black Sea Fleet headquarters within a radius of two blocks.

As the TASS agency reports, citing its correspondent at the scene, the debris from the missile attack on the headquarters is scattered over hundreds of meters.

Active attacks on the territory of Crimea have continued over the past week. On September 17, at about 1:15 Moscow time, air defense forces on duty destroyed two Ukrainian drones off the western coast of Crimea, the Ministry of Defense reported. On the same day, from 1:45 to 2:20 Moscow time, air defenses shot down four Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles over the northwestern and eastern coasts of the peninsula. At 20:30 Moscow time, two Ukrainian drones were destroyed over the southwestern part of Crimea. At 21:30 Moscow time, the Ministry of Defense reported the downing of one drone over the southwestern part of the peninsula. On the night of September 20-21, air defense forces destroyed 19 Ukrainian UAVs over the Black Sea and the territory of Crimea.

The largest attack in the region was the explosion of the Crimean Bridge on October 8, 2022. Then, a truck was blown up on the automobile part of the structure from the side of the Taman Peninsula, collapsing the automobile spans. Four people died. The second attempt to attack the bridge occurred on the night of July 16-17, 2023, when Ukrainian surface drones attacked it, resulting in damage to the automobile part of the bridge. Then two people died. As a result of both attacks, the Investigative Committee of Russia opened criminal cases of terrorism. Several people were arrested. The last large-scale attack on Sevastopol was recorded on September 13, when the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired 10 cruise missiles at the city, seven of which were shot down by air defense forces.

In Crimea and Sevastopol, the “yellow” (high) level of terrorist threat is in effect indefinitely. In addition, from October 19, 2022, by decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin, an average level of response was established in the regions.