Ukraine says it ‘successfully’ hit Russia’s Black Sea navy HQ using British and French cruise missiles
The Ukrainian military says it has “successfully” struck the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet in occupied Crimea in an attack using Storm Shadow and SCALP cruise missiles.
Such weapons have been supplied by the UK and France to Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion.
British Storm Shadow missiles were also used in an attack on 13 September against the HQ, where a Russian submarine and warship were damaged in a barrage on a shipyard in the port city of Sevastopol.
In the latest assault, the navy building caught fire after being hit by a missile, according to Moscow and its allies.
One serviceman was missing following the attack, said the Russian defence ministry which earlier stated he had been killed.
The city’s Russian-installed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said the strike caused a fire and no one was injured outside the building but he did not talk about any other casualties.
Kremlin hits out at ‘aggressive’ Poland – Ukraine war latest
The building was ablaze after the attack
Firefighters battled the blaze and more emergency forces were being brought in – a sign of the large scale of the fire.
A stream of ambulances arrived at the building and shrapnel was scattered around an area of hundreds of metres, the Tass news agency reported, adding police asked residents to leave the city centre, where the naval HQ is located.
Mr Razvozhayev initially told Sevastopol residents that another attack was possible and urged them not to leave buildings or go into the centre.
He later said there was no longer any threat of an airstrike but reiterated that people should not go to the central part of the city.
Navy HQ attack part of well co-ordinated plan by Ukraine
Over the last few weeks the Ukrainians have been mounting a pretty intensive counter-attack, but there have also been drone attacks and missile attacks all over the place.
This is part of a well co-ordinated plan by Ukraine. One of the reasons they’re attacking the Russian Black Sea fleet is they’re trying to push it further east.
Why is that? It is because the fleet has been providing a lot of logistics support for the Russian forces in occupied Ukraine, so Kyiv is trying to stop the navy resupplying troops via Crimea and make life more difficult for them.
Ukraine does not have a navy to compete with Russia, but it has been conducting asymmetric attacks against Russian ships and submarines – at sea and in Sevastopol dock – and now the military HQ in Sevastopol.
Likewise on the Dnipro River, the Kakhovka Dam was blown up by the Russians in June because that protected their flank. All that water has now subsided and the Ukrainians keep mounting attacks across Dnipro. That is significant because it’s fixing Russian forces across that side of the country.
In Bakhmut, which is tactically an insignificant city, the Russians have put 70,000 to 80,000 forces there because it’s so symbolic, and therefore by attacking that area the Ukrainians are fixing Russian forces up there as well.
And by continuing attacks on Crimea, again the Russian forces that would otherwise be used to bolster the frontline have had to be kept there.
Finally up in Moscow, Ukrainian drone attacks there mean Vladimir Putin will be worried about his own defences as well.
So all of this is about forcing Russia to make priorities about where it positions its military forces.
Western military support is vital to enable such precision attacks against strategic targets – which are usually very well defended. High-tech, precision-strike weapons such as Storm Shadow enable Ukraine to strike high-value targets with a high degree of accuracy.
That is why Ukraine is so heavily dependent on Western support – in Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s own words, “give me the weapons or we lose the war”.
Reports suggest Ukrainian armour has broken through the comprehensive layered defences to the east of Zaporizhzhia. If this is verified, that could be the most significant progress since the start of the Ukrainian counter-offensive nearly four months ago.
The defence ministry said five missiles were shot down by its air defence systems responding to the Sevastopol attack.
It was not immediately clear if the HQ was hit in a direct strike or by debris from an intercepted missile.
The missile attack comes a day after five people were killed when Russian missiles and artillery pounded cities across Ukraine.
Read more:
Analysis: Pressure is mounting for Zelenskyy
Ukraine soldiers ‘choke Russian occupiers’
Why is Poland stopping sending weapons to Ukraine?
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‘Unprecedented’ cyberattack in Crimea
US to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles
Meanwhile, President Biden has told his Ukrainian counterpart President Zelenskyy that the US will provide a small number of long-range missiles, Sky News understands.
Ukraine has for months asked for the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) which would give Kyiv the ability to strike targets from up to 180 miles away, hitting supply lines, railways and command and control locations behind the Russian frontlines.
It is not known when the missiles will be delivered.
Mr Zelenskyy met Mr Biden and congressional leaders in Washington on Thursday.
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‘We in Ukraine will not give up’
Mr Biden has been pressing Congress to approve an extra aid package for Ukraine worth $24bn (£19.5bn) amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.
Crimea has also been struck by an “unprecedented” cyberattack in the wake of the missile strike, according to an official.
“An unprecedented cyberattack on Crimean internet providers,” noted Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to the Russian governor of the region, on Telegram.
“We are detecting interruptions in the internet on the peninsula,” he added. “All services are working to eliminate the threat.”
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The outage has not been verified and it was not clear what could have caused it.
The Crimean Peninsula was annexed from Ukraine by Russia in 2014 in an act that most of the world saw as illegal.
A senior Hamas official has thanked President Donald Trump for his role in securing a peace deal with Hamas.
In an exclusive interview with Sky News’ lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim, senior Hamas official Dr Basem Naim also warned that former UK Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair would not be welcome in any post-war role for Gaza.
Dr Naim said a ceasefire would not have been possible without President Trump, but insisted he needed to continue to apply pressure to Israel to stick to the agreement.
He added that Hamas would be willing to step aside for a Palestinian body to govern a post-war Gaza, but that they would remain “on the ground” and would not be disarmed.
Dr Naim said in the interview: “Without the personal interference of President Trump in this case, I don’t think that it would have happened to have reached the end of the war.
“Therefore, yes, we thank President Trump and his personal efforts to interfere and to pressure Netanyahu to bring an end to this massacre and slaughtering.”
He added: “We believe and we hope that President Trump will continue to interfere personally and to exercise the maximum pressure on [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to fulfil the obligation.
“First, as according to the deal, and second, according to the international law as an occupying power, because I think without this, without this personal interference from President Trump, this will not happen.
“We have already seen Netanyahu speaking to the media, threatening to go to war again if this doesn’t happen, if that doesn’t happen.”
Donald Trump has been thanked for his role in securing a peace deal in Gaza. Pic: AP
Dr Naim said that weapons would only be handed over to the Palestinian state, with fighters integrated into the Palestinian National Army.
He reiterated that Hamas would not disarm as this could not guarantee the safety of Palestine.
Dr Naim said: “Our weapons are going to be handed over only to the hands of a Palestinian state, and our fighters can be integrated into the Palestinian National Army.
“No one has the right to deny us the right to resist the occupation of armies.”
He added: “We are not going to be disarmed as long as we are not sure that this will lead, by any other means, to having an independent self state which is able to defend itself.”
But he criticised plans for Sir Tony to play any role in the future of Gaza, saying that Hamas and Palestinians were angered by his role in previous wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Dr Naim added: “When it comes to Tony Blair, unfortunately, we Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims and maybe others around the world have bad memories of him.
“We can still remember his role in killing, causing thousands or millions of deaths to innocent civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“We can still remember him very well after destroying Iraq and Afghanistan.”
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Thousands of Gazans are heading north as Israeli troops pull back.
Under Mr Trump’s plans, Sir Tony would form part of an international supervisory body.
The international body, the Council of Peace or Board of Peace, would govern under plans approved by Mr Netanyahu.
The body would hold most power while overseeing the administration of Palestinian technocrats running day-to-day affairs.
It would also hold the commanding role of directing reconstruction in Gaza.
Sir Tony Blair has been told he would not be welcome in a post-war Gaza
Dr Naim added that Hamas was satisfied Mr Trump’s plan would achieve peace in Gaza.
But he said it could never be fully satisfied after accusing Israel of genocide.
Israel has continually denied this, claiming it has been fighting Hamas terrorists to defend itself following the October 7 massacre in 2023.
On that day, Hamas gunmen stormed southern Israel killing 1,200 people and taking many Israelis hostage.
This is a historic moment for the Middle East. The coming days will be crucial.
Critical for the immediate success of Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan. But also for hopes it could lead to something even more important, progress towards a broader peace.
There is plenty that could still go wrong. But so far so good.
Follow the latest updates on the Gaza ceasefire deal
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‘Things moving rapidly’ in Gaza as ceasefire takes effect
Hamas seems ready to give up its hostages believing American assurances Israel will not start the war again when they have.
And Israel is withdrawing its forces on the lines outlined in the deal.
If the deal does hold then what next?
Here are the most pressing questions.
What becomes of Hamas? It is meant to disarm and not be part of any future government in Gaza. What if it goes back on that? What if it retreats to the shadows, regroups and rearms and goes back to its old ways?
Then, who is going to keep the peace? The plan is for an international peacekeeping force overseen by the Americans but not involving US troops on the ground, using soldiers from Arab countries and Turkey instead.
Will that force materialise and will it be effective? The history of peacekeeping operations in the region is not an encouraging one.
Then how is Gaza going to be run?
There’s been talk of a government of technocrats, people who know how to get things done, and of an oversight board run by President Trump, and of Tony Blair coming in as governor.
It will be a massive task. Rebuilding Gaza will cost billions of dollars and at the moment plans seem vague at best.
It could all come unstuck.
But then again, there are reasons for some optimism. Could this breakthrough lead to more sustained progress in efforts to build a lasting peace?
October 7th and the events that followed it including the Gaza war have changed so much in the Middle East.
Events have laid bare the utter futility of the past.
Read more:
How withdrawal of Israeli troops in Gaza could work
How two years of war have shattered the Gaza Strip
Israel’s policy of dividing and ruling the Palestinians and weakening them so they could never form their own state has ended in tragedy and colossal failure.
Hamas has brought its people nothing but misery and carnage.
There is on both sides a yearning for a new start.
There is also an American president who is prepared to put massive pressure on Israel unlike his predecessors and who is hungry for peace.
The region is lining up to push the chances of peace. President Trump has galvanised the likes of Turkey, Egypt and nations in the gulf.
In Israel there may be a fresh start. Its hardline right-wing government might have to give way to new leaders with new ideas.
And the country most likely to wreck the chances of progress, Iran, is massively weakened, pummelled by Israeli air power, and its allies and proxies humbled.
We should not over-egg the chances of further progress. In this rough neighbourhood there is always a multitude of reasons why this multi-stage deal might still fall apart, let alone lead to a much bigger peace.
But there is a chance now. The past two years have broken up the Middle East and so many of its old rules of operating. Putting it back together offers an opportunity.
It will require a huge amount of political will and leadership but there is the chance however slim of remaking the region in a way that gives its people a better future.
World
Tennessee: Multiple people killed and others missing after explosion at military munitions plant
Multiple people have been killed and others are missing after an explosion at a Tennessee military munitions plant.
Secondary explosions have forced rescuers back from the burning site at Accurate Energetic Systems, according to the Hickman County Sheriff’s Office.
Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis told a news conference: “We do have several people at this time unaccounted for.
“We are trying to be mindful of families and that situation. We do have some folks. We can confirm that we do have some that are deceased.”
The explosion was reported at 7.45am in Hickman County on Friday. Pic: WTVF-TV / AP
The cause of the blast, which occurred at 7.45am on Friday (1.45pm in the UK), was not immediately known.
Video from the scene showed flames and smoke billowing from a field of debris.
Emergency crews were initially unable to enter the Tennessee plant because of continuing explosions, Hickman County Advanced MT David Stewart said.
Pics: WTVF-TV / AP
Residents in Lobelville, a 20-minute drive from the scene, told the Associated Press that they felt their homes shake and some people captured the loud boom of the explosion on their home cameras.
Gentry Stover, who was woken from his sleep by the blast, said: “I thought the house had collapsed with me inside of it.
“I live very close to Accurate and I realised about 30 seconds after I woke up that it had to have been that.”
Read more from Sky News:
Hamas official tells Sky News Tony Blair not welcome
Liam Gallagher and Wayne Rooney among stars at Ricky Hatton funeral
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According to its website, Accurate Energetic Systems manufactures products for the defence, aerospace, demolition, and oil and gas industries
It adds that the company makes and tests explosives at an eight-building facility that sprawls across wooded hills near Bucksnort, a town about 60 miles southwest of Nashville.
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