News Feed

UK minister: Destruction of Russian ship proves there's no stalemate in war

2 min read
UK minister: Destruction of Russian ship proves there's no stalemate in war
U.K. Defence Minister Grant Shapps speaks during a joint press conference with Norway's Defence Minister and Ukraine's Vice Admiral Oleksii Neizhpapa in central London on Dec. 11, 2023. (BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)

U.K. Defense Minister Grant Shapps said on Dec. 26 that Ukraine's recent attack on a Russian ship in the Black Sea proves that there is no stalemate in the war.

The Dec. 26 missile strike targeted the port town Feodosia in occupied Crimea. Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said that the attack had “destroyed” Russia's Novocherkassk ship, sharing a video of a large explosion.

“This latest destruction of (Russian dictator Vladimir) Putin's navy demonstrates that those who believe there's a stalemate in the Ukraine war are wrong,” Shapps wrote on X. “They haven't noticed that over the past 4 months 20% of Russia's Black Sea Fleet has been destroyed.”

On Nov. 1, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi wrote in the Economist magazine that the war had reached a "stalemate” after Ukraine’s underwhelming counteroffensive this year. The comment received backlash from President Volodymyr Zelensky’s administration, with the president denying Ukraine was at an impasse.

While Ukraine’s land offensive failed to achieve significant progress, it is seeing notable successes in the Black Sea, despite not being a major naval power.

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainian forces have repeatedly struck Russian ships from the Black Sea Fleet, causing what U.K. Armed Forces Minister James Heappey characterized in October as a "functional defeat" of Russia's naval forces in the Black Sea.

According to Shapps, Russia’s Black Sea superiority is “now challenged” by Ukraine. He added that the new Maritime Capability Coalition, led by the U.K. and Norway and announced earlier this month, will help ensure Ukraine’s victory at sea.

Moscow responded to the strike on the Novocherkassk but said that the ship was “damaged” rather than destroyed.

Military: Ukraine damages Russian cruiser ‘Askold’ in Crimea
Satellite images published on Nov. 5 show that Ukraine’s attacks on Crimea on Nov. 4 damaged the Russian Askold cruise missile carrier, Navy Captain Andrii Ryzhenko told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s investigative program Schemes.
Article image
Avatar
Dominic Culverwell

Reporter

Dominic is the business reporter for the Kyiv Independent. He has written for a number of publications including the Financial Times, bne IntelliNews, Radio Free Europe/Liberty, Euronews and New Eastern Europe. Previously, Dominic worked with StopFake as a disinformation expert, debunking Russian fake news in Europe.

Read more
News Feed

"It is legitimate and lawful for China to conduct normal economic, trade and energy cooperation with all countries around the world, including Russia," China's Foreign Ministry said in response to question about Russian oil purchases posed by Bloomberg. "We will continue to adopt reasonable energy security measures in accordance with our national interests."

"The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska," Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that "further details will follow."

Video

At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, foreigners flocked to Ukraine to join its defense against Russian forces. More than three years later, the foreign fighters who remain are a different breed — driven by a deep commitment to Ukraine.

Show More