"Crab Trap" special op: Ukraine’s forces hit Russian Black Sea Fleet HQ during leadership meeting

On Friday, September 22, as a result of the successful work of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces, the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the temporarily occupied Sevastopol was targeted. The missile hit during a meeting of the leadership

The press service of the Special Operations Forces of Ukraine shared the information in a statement.

“The daring and painstaking work of the Special Operations Forces enabled them to hit the Black Sea Fleet headquarters ‘on time and with precision’ while the Russian Navy’s senior leadership was meeting in the temporarily occupied city of Sevastopol,” it said in the statement.

The special operation dubbed “Crab Trap” left dozens of dead and wounded “including the senior staff of the fleet.”

The data was transmitted to the Air Force for strike. 

“The details of the attack will be revealed once it is possible. The result is dozens of dead and wounded occupiers, including the senior leadership of the fleet,” the statement read.

On Friday, September 22, powerful explosions were heard in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

According to the so-called governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, Ukrainian troops attacked the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. He added that a missile fragment fell near the Lunacharsky Theater.

The Russian propaganda agency TASS reported that the wreckage from the attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters was "scattered hundreds of meters away." A "large number" of ambulances were on their way to the scene. 

At the same time, the so-called governor of Sevastopol said that civilian infrastructure near the headquarters was allegedly not damaged. According to him, "not even broken windows were detected". A fire was extinguished at the scene. 

The Russian Ministry of Defense said that air defense allegedly shot down five missiles and reported one dead soldier.

At the same time, the press service of the Strategic Communications Directorate of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine later confirmed the hit on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol. 

Subsequently, the head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, said that at least 9 people were killed and 16 wounded in the Ukrainian attack on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol. Among them are Russian generals.

In his commentary, Budanov refused to say which missile hit the enemy facility. Instead, Sky News, citing sources in the Ukrainian Air Force, wrote that Storm Shadow missiles provided to Ukraine by the United Kingdom were used in the attack on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters.