Ukrain: Russia’s Black Sea navy HQ struck by Ukrainian missile | World News

Smoke was seen billowing out the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea navy in the port of Sevastopol shortly after explosions were heard.

Photos of the aftermath appeared to show a crater in an upper level of the building’s rear where the roof had been caved in.

People in the nearby city centre reportedly saw missiles fly overhead moments before the blast, with footage showing smoke visible from a busy high street.

Russian officials, who have ruled the peninsula since it was illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, urged locals to ‘head to shelters if you hear the siren’ while firefighters worked to contain the blaze.

In an update on Telegram, Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Kremlin-installed governor of Sevastopol, said ‘another attack is possible’ imminently.

Local media reported that the building had suffered ‘major damage’.

It’s not yet clear whether there were any casualties, and Ukraine did not immediately take responsibility for the apparent strike.

The incident prompted a rare outburst of fury toward the Kremlin from pro-war Russian commentators.

Zhivov Z, one of a nexus of Telegram channels which spread information about the invasion outside state control, said Moscow was ‘like a constantly falling asleep bear’.

Referring to unverified reports that a British-supplied Storm Shadow missile was used in the strike, it added: ‘A British missile attack on the heart of a hero city is an insult and a challenge.

‘The use of Western missiles on the territory of Crimea and Sevastopol is a new frontier of war, a transition far beyond [Russia’s] red lines. 

‘The question naturally arises: if cruise missiles reach their targets so often, what will happen if they are equipped with tactical nuclear warheads? 

‘In general, attacks on Sevastopol are a signal for the immediate mobilisation of our entire society, the entire country and the entire bureaucracy. The stakes are rising.’

On Wednesday, the Ukrainian military said it hit another building used by Russia’s Black Sea Fleet just outside Sevastopol as well as several other sites in Crimea.

The strikes also reportedly made use of British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles.

The following day, several cities in Ukraine came under renewed fire from Russian missiles and artillery.

Ukrainian officials say five civilians died in the shelling.

Another civilian was killed on Friday after Russian shelling sparked fires in a residential building in Kherson, according to local governor Oleksandr Prokudin.

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