'British' missile smashes into Russian Black Sea navy HQ in Crimea, sending plume of smoke billowing into the sky

22 September 2023, 13:16 | Updated: 22 September 2023, 15:49

The Russian navy's Black Sea headquarters has been hit by a missile that is said to have been supplied by the UK.

Large clouds of smoke have been seen billowing from the harbour of the city of Sevastopol in Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014 and has held ever since.

Ukraine later claimed responsibility for the strike. A Russian pro-war blogger said that the missiles were British.

Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhayev did not give any details, but said that emergency services had been sent to the site.

One member of the Russian military died during the strike, the Kremlin said. Russian anti-missile guns shot down five missiles earlier.

Razvozhayev told Sevastopol residents: "Another attack is possible. Please do not travel to the city centre. Don't leave buildings.

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"Everyone who is near the fleet headquarters - at the sound of the siren, proceed to shelters.

"Firefighters are on the scene extinguishing the fire."

Russian pro-war blogger said that the shells were "British Storm Shadow missiles" although this has not been confirmed.

The attack comes a day after Russian missiles and artillery pounded cities across Ukraine, killing at least five people as President Volodymyr Zelensky met US President Joe Biden and congressional leaders in Washington with an additional 24 billion-dollar (£19.6 billion) aid package being considered.

In the southern Kherson region, one man was killed by shells and another was injured another.

"Kherson has been restless since the morning," he said on Telegram.

Russian shelling sparked fires in a residential building and a garage.

In Kharkiv, regional governor Oleh Synyehubov said more than 14 settlements came under attack.

A house was damaged and a fire broke out in Vovchansk, in Chuguyiv district.

There were no casualties, the governor said.