Reports of a night-time strike near Feodosia began circulating on Telegram channels around 3:30 local time. Eyewitness accounts described powerful blasts over the city and the operation of the air defense system in response.
The post, based on on-site observers, said: “Several explosions were heard in the port district, followed by trailing smoke in the sky.”
At 4:16 a.m., Crimean leader Sergei Aksenov reported an targeting of the area:
“The port zone has been cordoned off. The explosion has ceased and the fire is being contained.”
The regional head added that residents of nearby homes would be relocated. Local services were dispatched to the scene, and he was personally overseeing the response.
Casualties and damage to the station
One Telegram channel explained that the blast damaged the windows of nearby houses.
The operations center noted that traffic on the Crimean bridge paused at 2:31 p.m. and remained halted for over an hour, until 3:42 p.m.
Telegram channel “PE Feodosia” posted footage showing the city’s damaged railway station. The blast’s pressure shattered windows and caused plaster to fall from walls, according to the report.
“For technical reasons, trains 7110 Feodosia – Dzhankoy and 6750 Feodosia – Dzhankoy will depart from Aivazovskaya station on December 26, 2023,” read a note from FSUE Kazhd on the Crimean Railway Telegram channel.
The regional president stated that six buildings sustained damage, most with broken windows.
“Regrettably, one person died and two were injured as a result of the attack in Feodosia. Six people were evacuated to temporary housing, while the rest were accommodated with relatives and friends,” Aksenov wrote. He stressed that passenger transport operations were not restricted.
According to the same source, the fire area in the port exceeded 1,000 square meters.
“Novocherkassk” was shot down
The Air Force Command of Ukraine reported on its Telegram channel the destruction of the large landing ship Novocherkassk, part of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, during a strike using cruise missiles.
“The fleet in Russia is shrinking… thanks to all the air force pilots and everyone who took part in this precise operation,” commented Lieutenant General Nikolai Oleshchuk, Commander of Ukraine’s Air Force, on Telegram.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed damage to Novocherkassk in Feodosia during repulsion of a Ukrainian strike using guided missiles.
The ministry added that two Ukrainian Su-24 aircraft involved in the attack were shot down by anti-air defenses.
Russian ship losses
- The cruiser Moskva, flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, was lost on April 14, 2022.
Official explanations from Moscow cited hull damage from munitions explosions and heavy seas as factors in the ship’s loss.
The defense ministry initially announced crew evacuation, later noting one casualty and several missing crew members. Ukrainian sources claimed Moskva had been hit by Neptune missiles.
- In March 2022, Ukrainian forces reported an airstrike on the Berdyansk port, claiming damage to several Black Sea Fleet vessels, including the large landing ship Saratov and other landing ships such as Caesar Kunikov and Novocherkassk.
A year later, a memorial plaque was unveiled in Sevastopol in memory of fallen Russian sailors. The Crimean Naval Base Commander attended the ceremony, along with other officials, recounting losses during the hostilities.