Ukraine destroyed a Russian ferry carrying fuel containers with a missile strike, causing it to sink as the fuel tanks caught fire.
Russian authorities confirmed the bombings, stating that the “Kyiv regime” was involved in yet another “terrorist attack” on Russia. Just recently, the country also destroyed a major Russian oil depot containing more than $200 million worth of fuel, reducing the facility to ashes as Russian firefighters worked for almost a week to extinguish the fire.
Since getting permission to use Western weapons in Russia, Ukraine has become more assertive in its military approach and has started focusing on attacking critical Russian oil and gas facilities. The details about the type of the missile used in this latest bombing remain unknown, but Russian Telegram channels are speculating that the Ukrainian forces used the Neptune anti-ship missile, which Ukraine manufactured domestically. The Ukrainian military has previously admitted using this missile in targeting a different Russian ferry.
Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmitry Pletenchuk also acknowledged that the ferry was targeted by the Ukrainian Navy, as he claimed that Russia was using this vessel to transport weapons to its forces fighting against Ukraine. Pletenchuk stated that their strikes were completely justifiable as they reduced the ability of their enemy to wage war on them.
Conflicting reports have been emerging about the human cost of the incident. Initial reports from Russian emergency services suggested that five people were present in the attack, but the governor of the city of Krasnodar, Veniamin Kondratiev, later noted that they rescued 17 people while two were still missing. Some reports are also claiming that one person died on the ferry.
Port Kavkaz, where the ferry was stationed, is one of the largest passenger ports in Russia. It connects mainland Russia with Crimea, which is an internationally recognized part of Ukraine but was captured by Russia in 2014.
This ferry attack became the latest major Ukrainian assault on Russia, which was already struggling to make sense of how a country with so little military power managed to invade its borders and push its forces back from the region of Kursk. This is the territory, a major part of which has been captured by Ukraine as the country launched a surprise invasion of Russia.
Russian officials have blamed the Western world, particularly the USA, for sponsoring these attacks and letting Ukraine use its weapons to attack Russian cities.
