War in Ukraine, day 761 | Ukraine says it hit two Russian ships in Crimea, drone strikes on Kyiv

(Kyiv) Ukraine, which struck two Russian ships in annexed Crimea, claimed new success in the Black Sea on Sunday, after a third night of massive bombing of the country by Russia which aims to destroy Ukrainian infrastructure.

Poland, Ukraine’s ally and neighbor, for its part declared that a Russian cruise missile aimed at western Ukraine had violated its airspace for around forty seconds, the third incident of this type since the start of the war. She announced that she was going to summon the Russian ambassador.

After sinking numerous Russian boats since the offensive launched on February 24, 2022, Kyiv claimed a new success, a humiliation for Russia which had to abandon the blockade of the coasts still under Ukrainian control.

“I thank all our heroes […] which rid Crimea and the Black Sea of ​​the presence of the occupier. It is a difficult task, but our soldiers are gradually accomplishing it,” welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his daily address.

The Ukrainian armed forces claimed in the morning to have “managed to hit the amphibious ships Yamal And Azovas well as a communications center and other infrastructure of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

The governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvojaev, reported a “massive” Ukrainian missile attack targeting the city. He said one man was killed and four people injured, without mentioning any damage to Russian warships.

Footage shared on social media showed a large explosion in the city, sending a fireball and black smoke into the air, as well as what appeared to be Russian air defenses intercepting incoming projectiles.

Satellite images show that Russia has moved a large part of its fleet further east, towards the port of Novorossiysk. Moscow also recently replaced its navy chief.

200,000 people without power in Kharkiv

Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, and the western region of Lviv were also targets of a “massive” air attack early Sunday, officials said, but no casualties were reported.

The Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down 18 of 29 missiles and 25 of 28 explosive drones launched overnight.

Russia “is not abandoning its goal of destroying Kyiv at all costs,” said Sergii Popko, head of the city’s military administration.

The damage appears much less severe than that of Friday, when Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv, in the northeast, on the border with Russia, found itself without electricity, water and heating.

More than 200,000 people were still without stable power on Sunday evening in Kharkiv, Zelensky said.

Moscow says it is responding with these strikes to Ukrainian bombings of border regions, which are themselves responses to the daily attacks that Russia inflicts on Ukrainians.

Russian forces shot down “22 aerial targets” heading towards the town of Belgorod, not far from the Ukrainian border, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram on Sunday.

Ukraine, faced with the Russian invasion and daily bombing of its cities for more than two years, has promised to respond by bringing the fighting to Russian soil.

Kyiv also wants to regain control of its airspace in 2024 so that Russia will no longer be able to bomb it like this. But for this, Ukraine has a crucial need for anti-aircraft defense means.

Territorial gains

Facing a defensive Ukraine and suffering from delays in additional Western aid, Russian forces are seeking to increase their advantage on the battlefield.

In recent days, the Russian army has claimed advances in the east in the sectors of Tchassiv Iar, a locality neighboring Bakhmut, and to the west of Avdiïvka, a town destroyed and conquered by the Russians in February.

Ukraine needs artillery ammunition and missiles on the front where it has been struggling, since the failure of its major counter-offensive in the summer of 2023, to contain the Russian army.

However, American aid has been blocked for months by the rivalry between the Democratic camp of President Joe Biden, in favor of increased support, and the Republicans of Donald Trump. European assistance has fallen behind schedule.

Finally, Ukraine fears an escalation on the part of Moscow, the Russian authorities invoking a Ukrainian lead in the investigation into the attack against a concert hall which left at least 137 dead. Vladimir Putin did not mention the Islamic State jihadists’ claim.