The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation claims that a Ukrainian Navy ship was sunk in Odessa

Ministry of Defense of Russia stated that on May 29, as a result of a “high-precision weapon strike” in the port of Odessa, the ship of the Naval Forces of Ukraine “Yuriy Olefyrenko” was destroyed.

Ukraine has not yet commented on the message of the Russian military department. The Ministry of Defense did not provide documentary evidence that the ship was destroyed. According to the Ukrainian authorities, Russia struck the port of Odessa on the night of May 29, but no damage or casualties were reported.

Messages about the attack on the ship appeared in the last day in Russian telegram channels. Some of them claim that the ship sank as a result of the impact.

“Yuriy Olefirenko” was previously called “Kirovohrad”. The ship was part of the Navy of the USSR, and then of Ukraine, since the 1970s.

In the summary of the Ministry of Defense, this medium amphibious ship is called the last combat ship that was in service with Ukraine. Most of the warships of the Ukrainian Navy were captured by Russia after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and are under Russian control. In addition to “Yuriy Olefyrenko”, the minelayer “Balta” remains under the control of Ukraine, as well as more than 10 combat boats and various auxiliary vessels.