In a recent development, Ukraine's navy announced that it has likely destroyed the last of Russia's cruise missile carriers operating out of Crimea, a strategically important peninsula in the Black Sea. The Ukrainian navy spokesperson, Dmytro Pletenchuk, informed Radio Free Europe that they are currently working to confirm the destruction of the small missile carrier known as "Tsiklon" on Saturday. If verified, this would mean that Russia no longer possesses a missile carrier based in Crimea.

Since Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, the peninsula has served as the headquarters for Russia's Black Sea Fleet in the city of Sevastopol. According to KCHF.ru, a Russian news site focused on the Black Sea Fleet, the Tsiklon, which entered service in July, is equipped with a launcher capable of striking ground targets from a distance of up to 1,500 miles using cruise missiles.

In his interview with Radio Free Europe, Pletenchuk mentioned that the Tsiklon might have been hit along with another Russian vessel, the minesweeper "Kovrovets." The Ukrainian navy had claimed the destruction of the minesweeper on Saturday, asserting it was "another bad day for Russia's Black Sea Fleet." However, specific details of the attack, such as the location and weaponry used, have not been disclosed by Ukraine.

While Russia has not commented on any damage to its ships, it stated on Saturday that it had successfully intercepted nine ATACMS missiles and one drone over Crimea. However, reports from pro-Ukrainian group Crimean Wind noted the disappearance of a ship of similar length to the Tsiklon from satellite imagery in Sevastopol on the night of the alleged attack. The pro-Russian Telegram channel Spy Dossier also claimed that the Tsiklon had been struck, supported by separate analyses of open-sourced social media posts by Radio Svoboda, raising doubts about the initial reports regarding the minesweeper.

The loss of the Tsiklon, if confirmed, would be a significant blow to Russia's naval capabilities, as its remaining missile carriers are currently based in Novorossiysk, hundreds of miles away on the Russian coastline. Last year, Russia had relocated a major portion of its Black Sea Fleet from Sevastopol to Novorossiysk due to Ukraine's ongoing campaign targeting Russian Black Sea ports and warships using cruise missiles and drones. In April, Ukraine had claimed to have destroyed or damaged a significant portion of the Russian fleet.

At present, the Ukrainian navy has not responded to requests for comment. The destruction of the Tsiklon, if indeed confirmed, signifies a noteworthy setback for Russia in the Black Sea region, further intensifying the ongoing tensions between the two neighboring countries.