Destruction of Russian ships in Crimea ‘historic’, says British minister

“This is a historic moment and a new change in the dynamics of the Black Sea,” said the British ruler, in statements released by Sky News.

At issue is the night attack carried out by Ukrainian forces against two Russian ships, a communications center and other infrastructure in Sevastopol, on the Crimean peninsula, Ukrainian territory under Russian occupation.

Information about the attack was provided by Ukrainian authorities, while Russia did not comment.

The British minister indicates that the ships were “destroyed” and that the attack means that “Russia can no longer operate with security guarantees” in those waters.

“After years of Russia’s illegal control over Crimea, the destruction of these important Russian warships is a notable milestone,” he said.

The two ships in question are the Jamal, designed in Poland in 1987, with a crew of 98 people and 112.5 meters long, and the Azov, more than 173 meters long, designed in 1972 and which has a crew of more than 400 people.

Russia, which launched a military offensive against Ukraine on February 24, annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea (south) in 2014.