Ukraine Strikes Russian Navy as War Enters Second Month; Blows up Russian Warship Bringing Military Supplies; Ukraine in position to encircle Russian troops outside Kyiv; Russia looks to foreign mercenaries as casualties pile up, LIVE UPDATES and MORE

By admin On Mar 24, 2022

Ukraine Strikes Russian Navy as War Enters Second Month:

The attack on a logistics hub for Russian forces came as Kyiv has tried to capitalize on Moscow’s struggle to supply its forces in Ukraine

Ukraine said it struck the Russian-occupied port in the Azov Sea city of Berdyansk on Thursday, igniting a large fire and hitting a Russian warship at the site, which has become a major logistics hub for Moscow’s invasion forces.

Footage from the area showed smoke billowing from a ship and secondary explosions from detonating ammunition. Footage also showed two smaller Russian ships fleeing the port after the explosions, one of the ships on fire.

The attack in Berdyansk—50 miles west of the besieged port of Mariupol and nearly 100 miles from the main front line in southern Ukraine—is a sign Kyiv has retained significant military capabilities in its fight against larger Russian forces that are struggling to maintain supply lines in the country.

Russian officials didn’t immediately confirm the attack. Kyiv initially said the strike destroyed the Russian navy landing ship, Orsk. Ukrainian news reports named the targeted ship as Saratov, the same class of large landing ship as the Orsk. The Ukrainian military later said it had hit Russian landing ships in Berdyansk, and that one of them was engulfed in fire. It didn’t provide the name.

Berdyansk, where pro-Ukrainian protests erupt regularly, is one of a handful of Ukrainian cities captured by Moscow in the month since Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Ukrainian officials haven’t disclosed how Ukraine carried out the attack. Ukraine’s new Neptune antiship missiles have a range of about 200 miles and haven’t been used in the conflict so far. Ukraine also has ballistic missiles with a known range of some 75 miles, though there may be modifications with a longer range. —>READ MORE HERE

Ukraine celebrates blowing up Russian warship:

Ukraine on Thursday celebrated blowing up a Russian warship that was bringing military supplies to invading forces.

“The morning starts with good news!” Ukraine’s armed forces gloated as it shared videos and photos of the still-blazing landing ship, the Orsk.

“The occupiers are burning well!” the message bragged just days after Russia had celebrated the warship’s arrival with military supplies as an “epic event.”

Aerial footage showed huge plumes of black smoke billowing over the Azov Sea from the docks in Berdyansk, an area that Ukraine said has been “captured by Russia.”

The flames burst out as the ship sat near at least two others, although it was not immediately clear if the damage spread beyond the Orsk.

Defense analyst and author H.I. Sutton speculated that the Alligator-class ship was destroyed with a “ballistic missile strike.” Two other ships were seen “sailing away as fire raged,” he tweeted. —>READ MORE HERE

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