In a recent development, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to the country's air force for the attack on occupied Crimea that is believed to have caused significant damage to a Russian warship. Taking to the Telegram social media site, Zelenskyy praised the Air Force for their remarkable operation, stating, "I am grateful to our Air Force for the impressive replenishment of the Russian underwater Black Sea fleet with another vessel. The occupiers will not have a single peaceful place in Ukraine" on Tuesday.

While the Russian officials have officially acknowledged the vessel sustaining damage, unverified images claiming to depict the overnight airstrike revealed a massive explosion that Ukrainian officials believe resulted from a munitions blast on board. Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat, speaking to Radio Free Europe, commented on the magnitude of the explosion, stating, "We can see how powerful the explosion was, what the detonation was like. After that, it's very hard for a ship to survive because this was not a rocket, this is the detonation of munitions."

Russian news agency TASS released the initial images from the scene, but provided little insight into the extent of damage suffered by the ship. These images depicted the port area from an incorrect angle, seemingly captured from behind security cordons situated some distance away from the scene. However, the images did show smoke hovering over the area, indicating some level of destruction.

The incident marks a noteworthy escalation in tensions between Ukraine and Russia, as Kyiv claims the attack targeted a Russian warship off the coast of the occupied Crimea. The exact impact and consequences of the strike on the Russian vessel remain unclear, as both sides present differing perspectives and limited information.