Ukraine war latest: Russian ship disabled after sabotage; Kyiv attacks oil depot in Crimea

October 7, 2024

By Ukraine

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Key developments on Oct. 7:

Russian Baltic Sea Fleet vessel out of action after Ukraine's sabotage, intelligence says
Ukraine's 3rd Brigade frees captured soldiers in Kharkiv Oblast skirmish
Oil depot on fire in Crimea's Feodosia following Ukrainian attack
Russian airstrike against Kherson injures 20, including children
Kyiv's air defense intercepts Russian Kinzhal strike

The Russian Baltic Fleet minesweeper Alexander Obukhov has been put out of action thanks to a sabotage operation by Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR), the agency said on Oct. 7.

The ship, based in the Russian coastal town of Baltiysk in the Kaliningrad exclave, reportedly "suffered severe damage" after water leaked into the engine due to "the mysterious appearance of a hole in a gas duct."

This is the second case of Ukraine sabotaging a Russian warship in the exclave, which lies between Poland and Lithuania some 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Ukraine's northwestern border.

The vessel that was supposed to be sent on duty is now undergoing major repairs, as the damaged M-503 engine is a rare piece of equipment, the agency noted. Efforts to fix the vessel are likely to be "technically difficult and expensive," according to military intelligence.

The agency published a video supposedly from inside the Russian vessel, where an unidentified person shows and describes the aftermath of the sabotage, putting the date as Sept. 30.

HUR did not specify how it gained access to the vessel to carry out the sabotage.

`Ukraine's 3rd Brigade frees captured soldiers in Kharkiv Oblast skirmish`

Ukraine's 3rd Assault Brigade has managed to regain positions and free a group of captive Ukrainian soldiers during an engagement with a Russian sabotage group in Kharkiv Oblast, the unit said on Oct. 7.

This comes as a confirmation of an Oct. 5 report about a skirmish in the Lyman direction in the northeast, close to the administrative border between Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv oblasts.

The elite 3rd Brigade has been holding the line near the village of Borova in Kharkiv Oblast, repelling repeated Russian assaults.

According to the Tactical Group Kreminna's statement, four soldiers from units assigned under the 3rd Brigade's command were captured by a Russian sabotage group numbering up to 10 fighters.

After noticing their absence and spotting the Russian unit's movement with a drone, one of the 3rd Brigade's battalions dispatched a force in an M113 armored car to intercept them.

The soldiers of the 3rd Brigade engaged the Russian sabotage group, allowing the captives to escape and return to Ukrainian positions. With Russian troops pushed back, the 3rd Brigade even regained lost territory.

`Oil depot on fire in Crimea's Feodosia following Ukrainian attack`

A fire erupted at an oil depot in Russia-occupied Feodosia in the early hours of Oct. 7 following a Ukrainian attack, according to Russian media and Ukraine's military.

Ukrainian missile forces targeted the largest oil depot in occupied Crimea, resulting in a large-scale fire, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed.

Residents reported hearing several powerful explosions around 4:30 a.m. local time, shortly before the fire started. The Crimean Wind Telegram channel also reported that airfields in Belbek and Saky were attacked overnight.

Local authorities confirmed the incident but described it as a fire.

"There’s a fire at the Feodosia oil depot. Emergency services are on the scene. No casualties or injuries have been reported," Oleg Kryuchkov, advisor to the Russia-installed proxy head of Crimea, said on Telegram.

The Telegram channel Astra later clarified that the facility on fire was the Marine Oil Terminal, previously targeted by drones in March 2024. At that time, four drones struck the depot, damaging the main fuel pipeline and causing a fire, which took over an hour to extinguish.

The Feodosia terminal is the largest in Crimea for handling oil products, with only one other terminal of its kind located in Sevastopol.

The facility "was used, in particular, to supply the Russian occupation army," the General Staff noted. The full extent of damage is being determined.

`Russian airstrike against Kherson injures 20, including children`

At least 20 people were injured during a Russian airstrike against the southern city of Kherson on Oct. 7, local authorities reported.

Russia attacked the city around 10:40 a.m., with two KAB bombs dropped in the coastal area of the central district and two more in the northern part of Kherson.

Initially, eight people were reported as injured, including two children aged three and five. Eleven more injuries were confirmed later during the same day.

At least six multi-story buildings were damaged by blast waves, the regional prosecutor's office said.

The same morning, Russia launched two Kinzhal missiles against Kyiv Oblast, both of which were shot down. The fallen debris damaged several buildings and cars in the city, but no casualties were reported.

Ukraine liberated the southern city of Kherson from Russian occupation in November 2022. Since then, Russian troops have regularly attacked the city and nearby areas along the western bank of the Dnipro River.

`Kyiv's air defense intercepts Russian Kinzhal strike`

Missile debris fell in Ukraine's capital following explosions and a nationwide air raid alert on the morning of Oct. 7, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

Explosions were heard in Kyiv at around 8:30 a.m. local time, according to Kyiv Independent reporters. Municipal authorities reported active air defenses in the city around the same time.

The explosions sounded shortly after Russian forces lifted MiG-31K aircraft, launching Kinzhal ballistic missiles. The Air Force detected the missiles flying toward Kyiv and Starokostiantyniv in Khmelnytskyi Oblast, where a major airbase is located.

All missiles targeting Kyiv have been intercepted, the Kyiv city military administration reported.

The debris was found in the Solomianskyi district, where a fire broke out, the Shevchenkivskyi district, and the Holosiivskyi district of the city. No casualties were reported at the time of the publication.

The fire was later extinguished. Missile fragments in the Solomianskyi district were found near an entrance to an apartment building, in the yard of a house, and near a supermarket, the mayor said.

The roof of a multi-story building was damaged in the Solomianskyi district, and a car was damaged in the Holosiivskyi district, authorities said.