MOSCOW, Dec  26, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - The Kremlin on Tuesday acknowledged a

Ukrainian attack had damaged a warship in the occupied Crimean port of Feodosia
in what Ukraine and its Western allies called a major setback for the Russian
navy.
       Ukraine said its air force destroyed the Novocherkassk landing ship, with
President Volodymyr Zelensky joking on social media that the vessel had now
joined "the Russian underwater Black Sea fleet".
       Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu informed "about the damage to our
large landing ship" to President Vladimir Putin in "a very detailed report",
the president's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.
       Russia's defence ministry said that the ship was damaged by guided aerial
missiles.
       Ukraine's military said its air force destroyed the Russian naval ship in a
missile attack on the eastern Crimean port.
       The Ukrainian defence ministry wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the
"Novocherkassk landing ship was destroyed in Feodosia tonight".
       It published an unattributed photo showing flames and smoke in a port at
night.
       
       - Black Sea dominance -
       
       "Ukraine's aviation did an excellent job. Crimea is Ukraine. There is no
place for the occupier's fleet here," the ministry wrote.
       In his post on social media, Zelensky wrote: "The occupiers will not have a
single peaceful place in Ukraine".
       The attack comes after Ukraine struck the Black Sea fleet's headquarters in
Sevastopol in September, forcing Moscow to move warships to ports further east.
       British defence minister Grant Shapps wrote on Twitter that "this latest
destruction of Putin's navy demonstrates that those who believe there's a
stalemate in the Ukraine war are wrong!"
       "Russia's dominance in the Black Sea is now challenged," he added.
       Ukraine nevertheless announced a setback on the eastern front Tuesday.
       Commander-in-chief Valeriy Zaluzhny said that troops had pulled back in the
town of Maryinka, which is close to the key Russian-held city of Donetsk.
       He said troops were still present on the outskirts, after Russia on Monday
claimed to fully control the town.
       
       - Ship 'transported Shaheds' -

       
       Ukraine's air force said that its tactical aviation attacked the
Novocherkassk with cruise missiles at around 0030 GMT in the area of Feodosia.
       Videos posted on social media showed a fire on the horizon in a port area,
followed by a loud explosion that sent up a ball of fire and was apparently
followed by multiple explosions.
       Ukraine's armed forces said that "on board of the ship were Shahed drones
that Russia uses for attacks on Ukrainian cities".
       Ukraine frequently carries out strikes in Crimea, particularly targeting
the Russian military.
       In April 2022, it sank the cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the Black Sea
fleet.
       The Novocherkassk was previously used by Russia for its military
intervention in Syria.
       The governor of the Russian-annexed peninsula, Sergei Aksyonov, wrote on
Telegram: "Sadly, one person was killed and two others were wounded in an enemy
attack on Feodosia."
       Crimea's Krym 24 television reported that two had been hospitalised in a
moderately severe condition.
       Aksyonov said earlier that the city's port was cordoned off following "an
enemy attack" that caused a "detonation" and fire.
       Six buildings were damaged, mostly with broken windows, the governor said,
and some local residents have been evacuated.