Ukraine’s Operational Command South pledges more ‘surprises’ for Russian forces in Crimea

Natalia Humeniuk, head of the press centre of the Operational Command South, said this during a telethon.

"We have many such targets there. It is too early to disclose all the details. There will be more surprises for Russian forces. And they have nothing to counter such attacks," she said.

Humeniuk noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are now continuing combat operations for "legitimate military purposes" and work only where it is verified, accurate, reliable.

"That is, hits will happen, the season continues. We will definitely disclose what we can. At the same time, Russian enemy is trying to create a 'retaliation' syndrome and put pressure on the frontline areas by shelling. But we will continue our combat work and try to protect those who are under pressure from Russian enemy," said the head of the press centre of the Southern Defense Forces.

In addition, she explained why the targeting of the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters is of great importance in the war. According to her, hitting a command center is always a result.

"The headquarters is a think tank, a concentration of leadership, a collection of ideas and plans. Hitting such an object is always a very powerful result, not only in terms of firepower, but also in terms of moral and psychological impact. Because hitting command and control points always adds more confusion to the command and control of troops. In this case, the command and control of the troops has definitely suffered losses and has been disrupted, meaning that there is no well-established system. The time to restore it is the time for us to implement our ideas," emphasized Humeniuk.

Ukrainian missile strike hit the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol: details

On Friday, September 22, powerful explosions were heard in the temporarily occupied Crimea: the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed the defeat of the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol.

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 Defense 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.

Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, suggested two options for the future of the Russian Black Sea Fleet: liquidation will be either voluntary or forced.