The Novocherkassk is (or was) a 112 meter long amphibious landing ship, part of Russia’s Black Sea fleet. Today Ukraine announced the ship had been destroyed while in port in Crimea.

The Ukrainian Air Force said on its Telegram channel that it attacked the port of Feodosia around 2:30 a.m. local time. The port is in eastern Crimea, the contested peninsula that Moscow annexed in 2014 and has occupied since. A video showing a fire followed by a massive explosion that could be seen from miles away was verified by social media intelligence firm Storyful as being shot at the right time and place to coincide with the attack…

The 370-foot-long ship that Ukraine claimed to have sunk on Tuesday, the Novocherkassk, is designed to land troops and vehicles during amphibious assaults. It can carry 10 tanks and 340 personnel. The ship’s regular crew is 87 people. Ukraine’s military had previously claimed to have damaged it in May during another attack.

In the video below, you can see the ship appeared to be burning before a huge secondary explosion took place:

The clearest video yet of the large secondary explosion that destroyed the Russian landing ship Novocherkassk, after the ship was struck by Ukrainian missiles in port last night. pic.twitter.com/NCh7WAQR4p

— Jimmy Rushton (@JimmySecUK) December 26, 2023

There is speculations that the secondary explosion was caused by the ship’s cargo, possibly a load of Iranian drones.

Patrick Bury, a security and defence expert and former Nato analyst, told the BBC News Channel there was speculation that the ship was carrying Iranian-made Shahed drones, which Russia has been using in its attacks on Ukrainian targets.

Speaking on Ukrainian TV, the head of the press centre for Ukraine’s southern command, Nataliya Humenyuk, said it was “clear that such a large detonation was caused by more than just the fuel or ammunition of the ship itself”…

“So, it is quite likely that it [the Novocherkassk’s cargo] was a kind of “Christmas present, completely wrapped,” she said.

Taking the ship out of action, even if only temporarily, will no doubt hamper Russia’s ability to supply troops in territory it occupies further north.

Outside observers also agree that the explosion looks like it was related to cargo and notes the ship was fairly close to a site where Russia regularly launches drones.

Andrii Klymenko, the head of the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies, agreed. “Judging by the video of the explosion, which was very powerful, it was carrying explosives: either shells or missiles, or, as some people say, drones,” he wrote in a text message.

Mr. Klymenko noted that the port of Feodosia was close to Cape Chauda, which he said Russia has long used as a launch site for attack drones.

Russia has acknowledged the ship was “damaged” but Ukrainian sources are saying it’s beyond repair. That photo above (top tweet) allegedly shows what’s left of it sticking out of the sea. That photo hasn’t been confirmed by major news organizations yet but pieces of the ship reportedly landed hundreds of meters away. This is from a Russian news report in the port city of Feodosia.

/17. Fragment of the Novocherkassk shown in post number 16 has traveled approximately 650 meters from the initialship location (45.022502, 35.390366) https://t.co/6qkhWJuLsm pic.twitter.com/GtU1d0ccpx

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) December 26, 2023

Finally, Russia is claiming it shot down two Ukrainian fighter jets who fired missiles at the ship, but Ukraine denies losing any planes. Here’s a video showing what the Novocherkassk looked like prior to today.