Black Sea Fleet HQ both a practical and symbolic targetpublished at 13:10 British Summer Time 22 September 2023

13:10 BST 22 September 2023

Vitaly Shevchenko
BBC Monitoring

The Russian Black Sea Fleet HQ is a prime Ukrainian target for both practical and symbolic reasons.

Russia has launched missiles at Ukraine from its ships in the Black Sea, causing devastating damage.

It has also been threatening to block the Black Sea shipping routes that Ukraine has been using to export grain.

There have also been fears - particularly in the early weeks of the full-scale invasion – that Russia may use landing ships to attack Ukraine’s southern Odesa and Mykolayiv regions from the sea.

But the Black Sea fleet is also a major symbol of Russia’s centuries-old military presence in the region. Russia has repeatedly used the fleet’s presence in Crimea to justify its claim to the Ukrainian peninsula, and Vladimir Putin has said that Russia had to take control of Crimea in 2014 to stop it from falling into Western hands.

Despite such claims, Russia’s Black Sea fleet and its headquarters faced no realistic threat back then.

But now, almost a year and seven months into Putin’s “special military operation”, the Ukrainian military has been able to strike right at the heart of the Russian military in occupied Crimea.

Here is the footage we've seen on social media which has now been confirmed to be genuine by BBC Verify.

The building is a visual match for the HQ of the Black Sea fleet, the weather matches Sevastopol this morning and the footage has never been posted on the internet before.

One serviceman has been killed in the attack on the Black Sea navy headquarters, the Russian Defence Ministry has confirmed.

We have seen videos circulating on social media which show plumes of smoke billowing out of the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol. , external

BBC Verify has confirmed the footage to be genuine and new.

Image source, .

Some more news just reaching us from the Russian-installed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev.

In a Telegram post he says the air alert is over, but continues to urge people to avoid the centre of the city in occupied Crimea.

Plenty of things have been happening in the last few hours, so let's bring you a quick recap of some of the key moments:

• Ukraine's prime minister has accused Russia of starting a new stage of what he calls "energy terror" as winter approaches
• Denys Shmyhal says a large-scale Russian missile attack caused power cuts in parts of central and western Ukraine for the first time in six months - Russia hasn’t commented on these accusations
• On the battlefield, video footage analysed by a US think tank indicates Ukrainian armoured vehicles have been seen operating beyond a multi-layered system of Russian defences in one part of the Zaporizhzhia region

• Last night, the first grain shipment to set off from Ukraine across the Black Sea since the collapse of a deal with Russia arrived in Istanbul

The first grain shipment since Russia pulled out of the UN-backed Black Sea grain deal - guaranteeing safe passage of non-military vessels - has safely crossed the Black Sea.

The ship passed through the Bosphorous Strait early Friday morning and is now anchored in Turkish waters, according to marine tracking data.

A second ship is currently following a similar route across the Black Sea, expected to reach Turkish waters on Saturday.

The Turkish ship Aroyat, which is carrying 17,600 tonnes of wheat for Egypt left the port of Chornomorsk in the Odesa region, Oleksandr Kubrakov says.

The reports of a new strike on Russia's Black Sea fleet follow recent attacks by Ukraine on infrastructure and military targets in occupied Crimea.

A number of targets have been hit on the peninsula's western coast, including an attack on the military base in the port city of Sevastopol - which destroyed a submarine and a warship.

You can read more about this shift in aerial strike tactics here, and we've put together a map of showing where they have been targeted:

Image source, .

The headquarters of Russia's Black Sea fleet in Crimea has been hit with a missile, the Russian-installed governor of Sevastopol says.

In a post on Telegram, Mikhail Razvozhayev says a fragment fell near the Lunacharsky Theatre in the largest city in Russian-occupied Crimea.

He says emergency services are on the scene and information about victims is being clarified.

Image source, Reuters

Marcin Zaborowski, policy director at the Globsec think tank, has told the BBC's Warsaw correspondent Poland's new stance over Ukraine has a lot to do with the country's forthcoming election:

“We are in the midst of the election campaign and the governing party has taken a decision to stir up some tensions in relation to Ukraine to try to win the support of voters in the countryside.

"It’s about politics, I don’t really see this as a meaningful policy change. I see it as a change in the narrative to stir up some tensions for short-term political gain.

“I got lots of calls yesterday from people in the US asking if the Poles are hesitating about providing Ukraine with weapons. Strategically, it was a terrible decision."

Sarah Rainsford
Eastern Europe Correspondent

From the beginning of Russia's full-on invasion, Warsaw has been a firm supporter of Kyiv.

It's often led the way in sending military aid and equipment, and argued passionately that this support is essential to protect Poland itself from Russian aggression.

The change of tone from the Polish government on Ukraine is startling. Now suddenly it feels like the political knives are out for Kyiv.

There's talk of how Ukraine should be "grateful" for Polish support. This week came a warning from Poland's prime minister about ending weapons transfers, although others in his party then scrambled to soften that message.

But there was no misinterpreting the Polish president's words. Andrzej Duda compared Ukraine to a drowning man who risks dragging his rescuers down with him.

• Read more here

The president of Poland has said a dispute with Ukraine over grain imports will not significantly affect positive diplomatic relations, the Reuters news agency reports.

Speaking at a business conference Andrzej Duda said: "I have no doubt that the dispute over the supply of grain from Ukraine to the Polish market is an absolute fragment of the entire Polish-Ukrainian relations.

"I don't believe that it can have a significant impact on them, so we need to solve this matter between us."

A Ukrainian missile and two drones have been shot down near the coast of Russian-occupied Crimea, Russia's defence ministry has claimed.

The statement follows reports of explosions and smoke near the bridge connecting Crimea with Russia, which Ukraine has attacked on several occasions.

The BBC is not able to verify if these events are connected, as Ukraine has stepped up its attacks on military bases and infrastructure in the Crimean peninsula - which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky seeks to secure continued funding for Ukraine's war effort, here is a look at which countries have been providing the bulk of military aid until now:

Image source, .

Sean Dilley
Reporting from Washington

President Zelensky left Washington after being reassured by President Biden that US support for Ukraine remained strong.

A new $325m (£265m) military aid deal has been announced, but the far larger $24bn package the White House wants to authorise is still being held up by political disagreements in Congress.

It seems relatively likely that when all is said and done, there will be a funding deal that will provide that support, but not without concessions and not without some political costs to Biden.

And however you look at it, one thing that is clear is that support for President Zelensky and Ukraine on Capitol Hill, at least among some Republicans, is declining.

As we've been reporting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Canada on an unannounced visit where he was met by Canadian PM Justin Trudeau in the capital, Ottawa.

It is Zelensky's first trip to Canada since Russia's invasion in February 2022.

He arrived from Washington where he had hoped to secure further funding, but it is unclear if the US Congress will back more aid.

Earlier in the week, Zelensky urged world leaders to continue to support Ukraine at the United Nations in New York.

Read more in our news story here.

Alexandra Fouché
Live reporter

We resume our coverage of Ukraine-related events as President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Canada on an unannounced visit to rally support for his country.

On Thursday, he was in the US where President Joe Biden told him he had approved some $325m (£265m) in extra war funds to help strengthen the country's air defences against Russia, as the two met at the White House in Washington.

The extra aid doesn't include the long-range missiles Zelensky has been requesting.

Separately, diplomatic tensions elsewhere are on the rise, after Zelensky criticised Poland, Slovakia and Hungary for banning imports of Ukrainian grain.

Stay with us as we bring you the latest updates and analysis from our correspondents.