The Ukrainian Navy confirmed striking the Russian support vessel Kommuna in the port of the Russian-occupied Sevastopol, Crimea, on 21 April. The ship, launched in 1915, is the oldest in the Russian Navy and the only rescue vessel of its class in the Black Sea.

“Today in Crimea, the Ukrainian Navy hit another ship from the Russian Federation’s Black Sea Fleet, the Kommuna. The extent of the damage is being verified. However, it is clear that the ship is now unable to carry out its tasks,” the Ukrainian Navy spokesman, Captain 3rd Rank Dmytro Pletenchuk, wrote on Facebook.

Explosions rock Russian-occupied Sevastopol, ???????? Crimea.

Russian-installed local authorities report a missile was shot down over the bay, but eyewitnesses suggest it struck an unidentified ship. pic.twitter.com/ZWbdggSa5a

— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) April 21, 2024

Pletenchuk explained to Ukrainska Pravda that while this ship is indeed not a combat vessel, despite its advanced age, it has been actively serving the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

In particular, ini 2022, the Russians used Kommuna when examining the site where the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Moskva, sank.

Read more:

• Ukraine destroys Russia’s Dzhankoi helicopter base air defenses, enabling further deep strikes on occupied Crimea
• The Guardian: Ukraine plans to destroy Kerch bridge by June
• Sources say high-ranking Russian officers hit by strike in occupied Crimea