The head of Ukraine’s air force has revealed specific details of the strikes, which devastated one of four Russian cruise-missile-capable submarines in its Black Sea Fleet, together with a large warship undergoing maintenance in the port city of Sevastopol in occupied Crimea on Wednesday.
Ukraine has confirmed that British and French cruise missiles – fired from either wing of a Ukrainian bomber – were used in a major attack against Russia’s navy in occupied Crimea and worked “perfectly”.
The strikes, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, devastated one of four Russian cruise-missile-capable submarines in its Black Sea Fleet and a large warship that had been undergoing maintenance in a dry dock in the port city of Sevastopol.
Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, the head of the Ukrainian air force, explained that British Storm Shadow missiles had been attached under the left wing of a Ukrainian Su-24 jet and French Scalp missiles under the right wing.
“Both missiles work perfectly, without a chance for the occupier!” he wrote.
It is very rare for Ukrainian commanders to release specific details of an operation.
The air chief signalled his Su-24M bomber aircraft also had the capacity to carry German Taurus missiles – a weapon that Berlin has signalled it may give to Kyiv.
“Then the ‘game of cities’ can be continued even more effectively,” the head of the air force said in a Telegram post.
“Once again, I thank our Western partners for the weapons and equipment that help us destroy the aggressor and liberate Ukrainian land!”