Comment on Ukraine says it may have destroyed Russia's last cruise missile carrier based out of Crimea

A satellite image shows smoke billowing from the port of Sevastopol, Crimea, September 22, 2023. Used for illustration purposes.PLANET LABS PBC/Handout via REUTERSUkraine's navy is trying to verify whether it destroyed the Tsiklon, a Russian missile carrier.If confirmed, it would mean Russia has no more missile carriers in Crimea, a naval spokesperson said.Details of the claimed strike and its exact casualties are still emerging.Ukraine's navy claims it has likely destroyed the last of Russia's cruise missile carriers operating out of the crucial Black Sea peninsula of Crimea.In remarks made to Radio Free Europe, Ukraine's navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said the navy was currently trying to verify whether or not it had destroyed the small missile carrier "Tsiklon" on Saturday.If confirmed, it would mean there is no longer a Russian missile carrier based out of the key peninsula, he told the outlet.Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and it is home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet headquarters at Sevastopol.According to KCHF.ru, a Russian site that closely follows news of the Black Sea Fleet, the Tsiklon only entered into service in July.The vessel's launcher enables cruise missile strikes against ground targets at a distance of up to 1,500 miles, it said.Pletenchuk, in his interview with Radio Free Europe, said that the Tsiklon may have been hit in addition to the Russian minesweeper "Kovrovets."The Ukrainian navy earlier claimed to have destroyed the minesweeper in Saturday's attack, hailing it as "another bad day for Russia's Black Sea Fleet."Ukraine has not provided further details of the attack, such as where it took place or what weaponry was used.