By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
KYIV/MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Russia has admitted that one of its warships was hit in a Ukrainian attack on a Black Sea port in Russian-occupied Crimea early Tuesday, killing at least one person. The strike on the peninsula comes after modern Ukraine celebrated its first Christmas Day under a new calendar amid ongoing clashes.
A blast shook the troubled region, footage showed, as Russia’s Ministry of Defence said Ukrainian plane-launched guided missiles struck the large landing ship Novocherkassk.
Moscow didn’t specify how much the Russian ship was damaged, but online videos showed a massive fire in the port area. Ukrainian authorities claimed the vessel was destroyed and said it was likely carrying an ammunition shipment, possibly including drones.
Moscow, in turn, claimed the two Ukrainian fighter jets involved in the attack were destroyed by anti-aircraft fire, but there was no immediate confirmation from Kyiv.
The Russia-appointed head of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said one person was killed in Tuesday’s attack and several others injured. He added that six buildings were damaged, and a small group had to be taken to temporary accommodation centers.
In recent months, Ukrainian forces increased attacks around Crimea, mostly with sea drones.
MORE ATTACKS
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said those strikes enabled Ukraine to restore navigation in the Black Sea and allowed the export of millions of tons of Ukrainian grain.
In September, a Ukrainian attack hit the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, also killing one person, and Ukraine launched more missiles against the city on the following day.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, ahead of its full invasion of the country in February last year.
Tuesday’s attack came after Ukraine officially celebrated Christmas on December 25 for the first time since 1917. Authorities view the move as more than just a change of date from January 7 – the date for Christmas in the Julian calendar, which Russia uses.
Kyiv has made clear it is part of a significant cultural and religious shift in the country and an attempt to eradicate Moscow’s influence in the wartorn nation.
The introduction of the Western Gregorian calendar is also seen as a sign of Kyiv’s ongoing attempt to further integrate into Europe as it seeks membership in the European Union.
SYMBOLIC IMPORTANCE
Kiyv resident Sasha Soronevych says changing the date is of symbolic importance. “I feel like it will not only change the date but also the feelings inside us,” she noticed.
Something is certain: Whether Christmas always comes despite the ongoing war. Russia made clear its forces had stopped Ukraine’s counteroffensive and are now pushing forward on all fronts.
Inside Russia, Moscow is also cracking down on dissent: Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny on Tuesday confirmed his arrival at what he called a snow-swept prison above the Arctic Circle.
He said he was in excellent spirits despite a tiring 20-day journey to get to the IK-3 penal colony about 1,900 kilometers or 1,180 miles northeast of Moscow.
Referring to the harsh weather conditions there and Russia’s Father Christmas, he wrote online: “I am your new Father Frost.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
The Trump administration has finalized a sweeping reciprocal trade agreement with Taiwan, confirming a 15 percent U.S. tariff rate on Taiwanese imports while securing broad new market access and purchase commitments for American goods.
Democrats are applauding White House border czar Tom Homan’s Thursday announcement that immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota will end next week.
Democrats in the U.S. Senate tanked the Homeland Security full-year funding bill in a last-ditch vote Thursday, all but guaranteeing a partial government shutdown starting Saturday.
Mourners in a remote Canadian town grappled Thursday with the aftermath of one of the country’s deadliest school shootings in decades, as families, survivors and leaders reacted to the tragedy that left eight victims — most of them children — dead, along with the 18-year-old suspect.
A gunman who opened fire at a school in southern Thailand’s Hat Yai city on Wednesday wounded a teacher and a student before being detained, authorities said, in a rare attack that sent students and staff into panic.
The Republican-led House of Representatives has passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, advancing legislation that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo identification at the polls. The bill now heads to the Senate, where its future remains uncertain amid strong Democratic opposition.
Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday that its advanced David’s Sling air and missile defense system has completed a series of complex modernized tests, a development officials say bolsters the country’s defensive posture as tensions with Iran escalate and the United States prepares military options that could include direct strikes.