Ukraine Confirms Sinking of Russia’s ‘Last Cruise Missile Carrier’ in Crimea

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has confirmed that at least one Russian vessel was struck during a missile attack on the Crimean Peninsula. On May 21, 2024, it was alleged the missile ship Tsiklon had been sunk, with it reported two days prior that the minesweeper Kovrovets had also been struck in the assault.

The attack on the Black Sea Fleet in occupied Crimea took place on May 19, 2024, with the Ukrainian Defense Ministry writing on X shortly after that Kovrovets had been struck. “Another bad day for the russian Black Sea Fleet,” the short statement read.

Two days later, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed that Tsiklon had also been sunk during the attack. In  a statement to the media, it wrote, “According to updated information, the Ukrainian defense forces hit a Russian project 22800 Tsiklon missile ship in Sevastopol, on the night of May 19.”

The General Staff didn’t elaborate on the extent to which the vessel had been damaged, but the Ukrainian Defense Ministry wrote on X that Russia had “lost a warship again.” Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk added that Tsiklon was the country’s “last cruise missile carrier” stationed in the Crimean Peninsula.

Additional reports claim that six people lost their lives in the missile strike, while another 11 were injured.

Tsiklon, a Karakurt-class corvette, was reported built at the Zalyv Shipbuilding Yard in Kerch, Crimea and activated for service with the Black Sea Fleet in the summer of 2023. The vessel was equipped with an array of weapons, most notably Kalibr cruise missiles.

According to Pletenchuk, Tsiklon hadn’t fired a missile since entering active service with the Russian Navy, adding that two of the ships built as part of project 22800 had already been destroyed by the Ukrainian forces.

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Word of the sinking follows a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defence, which stated that the country’s armed forces had shot down nine American-made MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and a drone over Crimea.