Ukraine used British Storm Shadow cruise missiles at a Russian naval shipyard in Sevastopol.

Ukraine used British Storm Shadow cruise missiles against a Russian shipyard on the annexed Crimean peninsula.. A Russian submarine and warship in Sevastopol were damaged in the early morning attack.

According to Ukrainian and Western sources, this may be The largest attack against Russian naval targets since the beginning of the conflict. Russia said 10 cruise missiles were fired at the facility, seven of which were shot down by air defenses. The UK has previously supplied the Ukrainian armed forces with Storm Shadow missiles, capable of striking Ukrainian aircraft at a range of over 150 miles.

“Tonight Ukrainian forces launched an attack against the Sevastopol shipyard with ten cruise missiles,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a telegram.

The ministry added that “two ships under repair were damaged” after being hit by the missiles.

It is a submarine In this battle kyiv forces were the first to attackAnother fact that underscores the seriousness of the attack for the Kremlin.

According to reports cited by Russian and Ukrainian media, the attacked ships were Robucha-class landing craft. “Minsk” and submarine Kilo class “Rostov-on-Don”.

Both were undergoing repairs at shipyards SevastopolIt serves as the main basis Black Sea Fleet From Russia. A submarine and ship matching the characteristics of “Minsk” and “Rostov-on-Don” were spotted in satellite images taken on September 8 at the shipyard and confirmed by open-source intelligence analysis.

Admiral Sir Ben Key, Commander of the British Royal NavyHe praised Ukraine’s “willingness to take risks”, although he did not elaborate on the possible involvement of UK-supplied missiles.

Separately, the Moscow-based governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Rasvozhayev, said at least 24 people were wounded in the attack.

“I would like to thank the pilots of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for their excellent work in the war” Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Olechuk said on social media.

Petro Poroshenko, who led Ukraine between 2014 and 2019, congratulated himself as he watched the naval factory he owned burn until Russia annexed the peninsula in 2014.

“Stolen goods never lead to success. And we must answer for the crimes committed,” Poroshenko said in a statement.

Military observers say the offensive represents a significant adaptation of Ukraine’s tactics, techniques and capabilities. It was the first successful attack against a Russian submarine in the conflict.This may signal a change in the military dynamics of the war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un for a summit the US warned could lead to a deal to redeploy Russian troops in Ukraine. Kim offered his full support for a “fair fight” and said the two had reached an agreement to increase their “strategic and tactical cooperation and unity in the struggle to protect sovereign rights and security.”

The attack on a Russian naval base in Crimea marks a turning point in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, with implications that go beyond the borders of the two countries. The involvement of arms supplied by the United Kingdom adds a new dimension to the conflict.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky last month vowed to do everything in his power to retake Crimea and called on his international allies to support those efforts.

Ukraine said on Monday it had recaptured strategic Black Sea oil and gas fields seized by Russia in 2015. Russia used the bases to install weapons and as a helipad, and Ukraine said it was helping to retake Crimea.

Storm Shadow is the British name for the cruise missiles used at Sevastopol on Wednesday. In France it is called SCALP EG (French acronym for “Regular Autonomous Long-Range Mobility System, General Purpose”).

The missile weighs 1,300 kg and is 5.1 meters long and is used in Tornado, Eurofighter Typhoon, Mirage 2000 and Rafale aircraft.

Targets can be achieved 250 to 500 km, depending on the version. In comparison, high mobility artillery rocket systems (Himars), already in possession of kyiv forces, can hit targets up to 80 kilometers away.

Its long range is made possible by a turbojet capable of reaching speeds of Mach 0.8. It has 450 kg BROACH (Royal Ordnance Bomb of Increased Burden) conventional warheads.

battlefront BROACH A Initial penetration fee to clear the floor or enter the bunker Then a variable delay fuze to control the explosion The main battlefront.

It’s a missile “Fire and Forget”, planned before launch. Once launched, the missile cannot be controlled or ordered to self-destruct, and information about its target cannot be changed. Mission planners plan the missile with target and target air defenses. The missile follows a semi-autonomous trajectory, on a low flight path guided by GPS and terrain mapping to the target area. Closer to the target, the missile ascends and then penetrates the target.

Climbing higher means achieving better probability of target identification and penetration. During the final maneuver, the warship cone is ejected High resolution thermal imaging camera Observe the (infrared) target area. next, The missile tries to find its target Based on your destination information (DSMAC). If it can’t, and the risk of collateral damage is high, the missile can fly to the point of collision instead of risking inaccuracy.

Its mission is to attack command, control and communication positions, airfields, ports, power plants, ammunition stores, surface ships and submarines in harbor and bridges and other high-value strategic targets.

Missile, operational Extreme conditionsUsed by British and French forces Gulf, Iraq And Libya.