The story goes on under the ad A senior US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity under basic rules set by the Biden government, confirmed on Friday that the strike had been carried out by Ukrainian forces, saying the number of casualties was unknown. Ukraine claimed the triumph as Russia’s advance on Kyiv remained deadlocked amid logistical difficulties, high morale and inadequate human resources. But setbacks in Berdyansk are likely to be minimal for Russian logistics efforts, said HI Sutton, an independent defense analyst. “It’s a highlight for Ukrainians, especially in the naval sphere, but it probably is not important for Russia,” he said. “It is a setback, but it does not change the strategic picture at all.” The story goes on under the ad Given the smaller explosions coming from the ship in the videos, Sutton said, it probably carried ammunition and fewer troops due to limited space. Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar declined to disclose the contents of the ship, but said it could carry up to 20 tanks, 45 armored personnel carriers and 400 paratroopers. He described it as “a huge target hit by the force and means of the Ukrainian Armed Forces”. Moscow did not immediately comment on the incident. The fires started shortly after 5 a.m., according to The Post’s analysis of the length and angle of visible shadows. The Ukrainian navy claimed on March 24 that it had destroyed a Russian landing craft that was docked in the port of Berdinsk. (Video: Social Media, Photo: Social Media) A security camera heading to the dock recorded black smoke coming from the site of the ship. Seconds later, he captured what appeared to be an explosion – a fireball that quickly disappeared. From another angle, sparks erupted from the deck. Several explosions ensued until the entire ship was engulfed in flames. The story goes on under the ad Two other warships were evacuated from the port, at least one of them on fire. The cause of the fires is not clear from the video, said Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. He said landing craft could play a key role in sustaining the attacks, but said it was unclear whether much of the equipment remained on board or had been unloaded. However, the loss of such a vessel could be “a problem for them, given the slow pace of new production and how old some of the existing ones are,” Lee said. The Ukrainian navy initially wrong identified the wrecked ship on its Facebook page Thursday as the Orsk of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, sharing images of the alleged “conqueror” ship in a photo without a date before the explosion, as well as images of the fires. The story goes on under the ad The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a Facebook post on Friday that the Saratov disembarkation ship had been destroyed, not the Orsk. “One of the Russian ships can not be repaired and also many other ships have been affected,” Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said in a statement on Thursday. He declined to give details of the operation, saying the “tools” used on the ships “were not so important”. “We can tell you for sure that this business was a success,” he said. The shape of Orsk seemed to match the outline of the ship it appeared wrapped in flames in the video. Russian state media published a video of the Orsk Project 1171 of the Russian Black Sea Fleet unloading armored military vehicles on Monday in Berdyansk. The Zvezda television network claimed that the Orsk was the first Russian ship to enter the port and said it would help reduce the time it takes to deliver military equipment to troops. The network described the ship’s landing as an “epic event”, the BBC reported. Mariya Manzhos and Sarah Cahlan contributed to this exhibition.
