Russia says Black Sea Fleet HQ in Sevastopol were hit with missiles supplied to Ukraine by UK

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Ukraine struck the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol with Storm Shadow missiles, which were supplied by the UK, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

"As for the recent missile strikes on the Crimean Peninsula and directly on the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, British-French air-to-ground Storm Shadow missiles were used for this purpose, and they were supplied by London," Zakharova said in response to question by Anadolu at a news conference in Moscow.

Russian-made MiG-29 and Su-24 aircraft of the Ukrainian aviation were reequipped to launch British-French-made missiles, she added.

Ukraine's Special Operations Forces on Monday said they were behind the attack on the naval headquarters, claiming that 34 Russian officers, including Viktor Sokolov, the commander of the fleet, were killed in the strike.

The commander's death was later proven to be false when he appeared on Russian television hours after Ukrainian claims.

Zakharova said Moscow is aware of the arrival of the US-made Abrams tanks to Ukraine, noting that "a limited number" of tanks of "old modification" was supplied.

"According to experts, this will not change the situation in the zone of contact of the armed forces of the Russian Federation with the armed formations of the Kyiv regime," she said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday said US Abrams tanks had arrived in Ukraine and "we are preparing to reinforce our brigades."​​​​​​​