UK welcomes claims Ukraine has destroyed Russian warship in Black Sea

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps used the attack to argue the war has not reached a ‘stalemate’.

Grant Shapps (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Archive)

Britain has welcomed claims that Ukraine has destroyed a Russian naval ship in an air strike on a Black Sea port as a sign the war has not reached a “stalemate”.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps seized on Tuesday’s early morning attack on the warship in Feodosiya in Russian-occupied Crimea as evidence that Ukraine’s critics are “wrong”.

Russia’s defence ministry conceded that the Novocherkassk landing ship had been damaged by plane-launched guided missiles.

Russia's dominance in the Black Sea is now challenged and the new UK & Norway led Maritime Capability Coalition is helping to ensure Ukraine will win at sea

Grant Shapps statement

Ukrainian authorities claimed the ship was probably carrying weapons including drones and was destroyed by the strike.

The blow to Vladimir Putin’s fleet comes at a crucial time for Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky as he strives to shore up military aid from Western allies amid some unease at the spending.

In a statement, Mr Shapps said: “This latest destruction of Putin’s navy demonstrates that those who believe there’s a stalemate in the Ukraine war are wrong!

“They haven’t noticed that over the past 4 months 20% of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has been destroyed.

“Russia’s dominance in the Black Sea is now challenged and the new UK & Norway led Maritime Capability Coalition is helping to ensure Ukraine will win at sea.”