Ukraine’s military said on Thursday that it had destroyed a Russian ship at a port under Russian occupation in southern Ukraine, in what would be a success for the Ukrainians as they seek to keep Russia from reinforcing and resupplying its forces as they struggle to gain momentum.
Russia has faced logistical challenges across Ukraine in its monthlong invasion, and its forces have largely stalled in their efforts to advance on major cities. They have been most successful in the south, where an early push out of Crimea and amphibious assaults launched by naval infantry allowed them to gain control over parts of the coastlines of the Black Sea and Sea of Azov.
The port of Berdyansk, which Russia captured in late February, has offered Moscow a way to bring reinforcements and supplies closer to critical areas of fighting in Mariupol and across Ukraine’s eastern front.
Videos and photos reviewed by The New York Times confirmed that a Russian ship was on fire at the port. At least two Alligator-class landing ships are listed in active service in Russia’s Black Sea Fleet: the Orsk and the Saratov.
“The destroyed ship in Berdyansk could carry up to 20 tanks, 45 armored personnel carriers and 400 paratroopers,” the Ukrainian deputy defense minister, Anna Malyar, said in a statement on Thursday. “This is a huge target that was hit by our military.”
The Ukrainian military said it had destroyed the Orsk, but it was not immediately clear from the visual evidence which ship was destroyed. Videos show other Russian ships, also appearing to have small fires with smoke rising, leaving the port while the Alligator-class vessel burns.
The Ukrainians have claimed to have damaged or destroyed several Russian warships over the course of the war. Those reports have not been independently verified.
The Russians have not commented on the report out of Berdyansk.
But on Monday, Zvezda, a Russian television network run by the country’s defense ministry, published a video report from there that showed a Russian landing ship offloading armored vehicles.
The report said that 10 Russian landing ships were involved in the operation to resupply forces in the area, which has been the site of some of the most intense fighting, with the port city of Mariupol just 40 miles away.
The report quoted a Russian Navy officer who said the arrival of landing ships to Berdyansk was “a landmark event that will open logistical possibilities to the Black Sea Navy.”
