Videos of massive mushroom cloud flood social media as Ukraine bombs Russian Novocherkassk ship

In a fiery spectacle that would make Michael Bay blush, Ukraine has reportedly destroyed the Russian Novocherkassk landing ship in Feodosia. 

What

• The announcement came from Ukraine's Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk, who expressed satisfaction with the diminishing size of the Russian fleet in this real-life game of Battleships.
• During the early hours of the day, around 3 AM local time, explosions were reported in the Feodosia area. It is said that a ship carrying Iranian ammunition was blown up, resulting in a massive portside fire.
• Residents in the vicinity reported hearing loud bangs and witnessing plumes of smoke, causing disruptions such as the blockage of traffic on the Crimean bridge.
• Sergey Aksenov, the head of the Russian occupation authorities in Crimea, confirmed the occurrence of an enemy attack in the Feodosia area and subsequently cordoned off the port. 

Ukraine says the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s Ropucha-class big landing ship Novocherkassk won’t be sailing anymore after an encounter with Ukrainian missiles in Feodosiya, Crimea. pic.twitter.com/OpqGwWhGgt

— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) December 26, 2023

The Novocherkassk

• The ill-fated vessel of this maritime disaster was none other than the Novocherkassk, a ship that had seen better days since its 1987 debut and had a displacement of 2,800 tons.
• This is not the first time the Novocherkassk has come under attack. In March 2022, the ship sustained damage during an assault while docked in the port of Berdyansk in southern Ukraine. At that time, it was one of the 12 Russian landing ships present in the Black Sea.

🚨 BREAKING: Mykola Oleshchuk, Commander of the Air Force of Ukraine reports Russia's Black Sea Fleet Large Landing Ship Novocherkassk (BDK-46) has been SUNK at the Feodosia port in Crimea as a result of this night's strike.
Footage of this 112.5m long (369 ft) ship from 2020: https://t.co/JC43bdRZGc pic.twitter.com/i3e6pDTW5U

— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) December 26, 2023

Footage of explosion

Footage of the enormous explosion, attributed to the destruction of the Novocherkassk, has since been doing its rounds on Twitter, with videos of a massive mushroom cloud lighting up the Feodosia night sky.

Presumably a ship carrying Shahed drones from Iran, was targeted. Unconfirmed information, let’s wait and see.
Terrorists getting what they deserve pic.twitter.com/xquETxytDo

— Alex Dolgopolov (@TheDolgo) December 26, 2023

Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk acknowledged the success of the operation in a social media post, crediting the Air Force pilots and everyone involved.

Russian large amphibious assault vessel „Novocherkassk“ has been hit by Ukrainian cruise missile and destroyed in harbor of Feodosia, Russian-occupied Crimea. Detonation of ammunition has caused additional damage to the harbor. pic.twitter.com/8q3mD6aAQR

— Sergej Sumlenny, LL.M (@sumlenny) December 26, 2023

As a consequence of the explosion, traffic on the Crimean bridge was disrupted, and the ongoing fire necessitated the evacuation of several homes in the vicinity.