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Russian landing ship destroyed at Sea of Azov port, naval forces say

Ship was reportedly transporting armoured vehicles to occupied Ukrainian city

The Associated Press · Posted: Mar 24, 2022 3:49 AM ET | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

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Ukraine's navy reported on Thursday that it had destroyed the Russian landing ship Orsk in the Sea of Azov, docked at the occupied Ukrainian port city of Berdyansk.

The Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine released photos and video on Facebook of fire and thick smoke coming from the port area. Russia did not immediately comment on the claim.

Russia has been in possession of the port in southern Ukraine since Feb. 27 — a few days after Russia's invasion of the country began — and the Orsk had disembarked armoured vehicles there on Monday for use in Moscow's offensive, the Zvezda TV channel of the Russian Defence Ministry said earlier this week.

According to the report, the Orsk was the first Russian ship to enter Berdyansk, which is about 80 kilometres west along the coast from the besieged city of Mariupol.

Ukraine also claimed two more ships were damaged and a 2,721-tonne fuel tank was destroyed when the Orsk was sunk, causing a fire that spread to nearby ammunition supplies.
When Russia unleashed its invasion Feb. 24 in Europe's biggest offensive since the Second World War, a swift toppling of Ukraine's government seemed likely. But a month into the fighting, Moscow is bogged down in a grinding military campaign of attrition after meeting fierce Ukrainian resistance.

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