Russian Black Sea Navy ships being anchored in Sevastopol bay. AFP PHOTO/ Vasiliy BATANOVVasiliy BATANOV/AFP/Getty Images
On September 23, Ukraine launched another attack on Crimea. The peninsula was reportedly targeted by six Neptune anti-ship missiles launched from the Odessa region. The Russian military officials are yet to confirm the attack.
Air alert sounded in the city of Sevastopol twice on the morning of September 23. In total, the alert was heard for about 40 minutes. The local authorities confirmed the attack, claiming that the air defense systems were working in the area. The passenger traffic in the bay of Sevastopol was suspended.
The city governor, claimed that rocket debris fell near the Sukharnaya balka. Emergency services rushed to the area. There is reportedly one of the largest arsenals of the Black Sea Fleet hidden in the deep underground tunnels of the Sukharnaya Beam. The Ukrainian military likely targeted the mine-torpedo weapons stored here. Moreover, there are several strategically important and dangerous facilities located near the Sukharnaya balka. From one side, there is the so-called Oil Harbor for the main base of the Black Sea Fleet located on Mayachnaya Hill. There are huge fuel tanks for warships and auxiliary vessels. The facility is partially hidden under ground. On the other side, there is the territory of the former Sevastopol Higher Naval Engineering School. After the collapse of the USSR, it turned into an Institute of Nuclear Energy and Industry as part of Sevastopol State University, on the territory of which an IR-100 research nuclear reactor with a thermal capacity of 200 kW was installed. In March 2014, the reactor was shut down but a missile strike in the area could lead to dangerous results.
Some sources claimed that the berth No. 19 was struck in the Sukharnaya bay. According to unconfirmed reports, the berth No.17 in the Holland district of the city was struck by another missile. According to the local sources, the target there were ships that were waiting for decommissioning.
The wreckage of most of the missiles that were shot down by Russian forces fell in the Black Sea but some were found in the city. In addition to the wreckage that fell in the Sukharnaya balka, part of another intercepted missile was discovered in the Uchkuevka park. The area was secured by emergency services.
