Russian commanders were killed and others seriously injured in a devastating Ukrainian missile attack on a military headquarters
- The attack was timed to coincide with a meeting of senior military leaders
- Footage emerged of the moment a rocket crashed through the roof of the headquarters
Several Russian commanders have been killed or seriously injured in a devastating Ukrainian missile attack on a military headquarters, it was claimed today.
Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, said at least nine Russian soldiers or sailors were killed and 16 wounded during an attack on Friday by Storm Shadow missiles on the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet on the… Russia occupied Crimea.
The attack, in which as many as three rockets were fired, coincided with a meeting of senior military leaders. Among those believed to be seriously injured was Colonel General Alexander Romanchuk, the commander leading the Kremlin’s forces in southern Ukraine. Lieutenant General Oleg Tsekov, the commander of ground forces usually stationed in Arctic Russia, is also reportedly in a serious condition following the barrage.
General Budanov refused to confirm reports that Admiral Viktor Sokolov, commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, had been killed in the attack.
Dramatic video footage emerged today showing one of the missiles – supplied by Britain and France – crashing through the roof of its headquarters in the city of Sevastopol.
After the Ukrainian attack, plumes of smoke were seen coming from the Russian headquarters
Photos of the smoking ruins of the neoclassical building later showed widespread destruction.
A Ukrainian military statement last night claimed the attack had left “dozens of dead and injured occupiers, including the top management of the fleet.”
A Russian social media outlet said at least 34 officers were killed in the strike.
Greg Bagwell, a retired air marshal and former deputy commander for operations in the RAF, said: “The Russian grip on Crimea is becoming increasingly untenable.”
John Foreman, a former British military attaché in Moscow, said the rocket attacks exposed the lack of concern by Russian commanders. He added: “Yet another self-inflicted disaster for the incompetent members of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.”
Oleg Tsekov is the commander of the 200th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, part of the Coastal Forces of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy. He was reported as one of the injured
A Russian social media outlet said at least 34 officers were killed in the strike
The area around Sevastopol was again attacked with rockets yesterday.
The city’s Russian-installed governor, Mikhail Razvozhaev, said debris from a missile shot down by air defenses had fallen near a pier, adding: “We seriously ask everyone: stop sowing panic and pleasing our enemies… panic is their main goal.”
Russia occupied Crimea in 2014. The Ukrainian navy recently claimed to have destroyed an S-400 air defense missile battery protecting the peninsula, affecting Russia’s ability to defend itself against attack.
