Ukraine says it has hit two landing ships, a communications centre and other infrastructure used by Russia’s Black Sea fleet off annexed Crimea.<\/p>\n
An announcement by the Ukrainian general staff said the Yamal and Azov ships had been destroyed.<\/p>\n
The Russian-installed governor of the port of Sevastopol said 10 Ukrainian missiles had been shot down.<\/p>\n
Russia also launched a missile and drone attack on the capital, Kyiv, and the region of Lviv early on Sunday.<\/p>\n
In an announcement, Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russian-appointed mayor of Sevastopol, said damage had been caused to residential buildings and transport infrastructure as a result of the “massive” attack.<\/p>\n
He asked residents not to publish information or any images.<\/p>\n
UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps praised the attack on the Russian ships, calling it a “historic moment for Ukraine”.<\/p>\n
“In plain English, it means that Putin can no longer exercise safely in the Black Sea, even though the Russian Fleet has operated there since 1783,” Mr Shapps said.<\/p>\n
He added that the world “cannot afford” for Ukraine to lose this war, and that the UK’s support for Kyiv in the face of Russian assaults “will remain undimmed”.<\/p>\n
The BBC has not been able to verify the Ukrainian claim to have damaged the Russian landing ships, which are used to land troops and equipment straight to shore without the need for a pier or dock.<\/p>\n
On Sunday morning, Kyiv residents took shelter in metro stations as the attack began at 05:00 (03:00 GMT).<\/p>\n
Officials said their defences had shot down 18 Russian missiles and 25 drones there. There was only minor damage.<\/p>\n
About 20 Russian missiles and seven drones targeted “critical infrastructure” in the western region of Lviv. No damage has been reported.<\/p>\n
One of the cruise missiles entered the airspace of neighbouring Poland, a Nato member, the armed forces announced.<\/p>\n
“The object entered Polish space near the town of Oserdow and stayed there for 39 seconds. During the entire flight, it was observed by military radar systems,” the armed forces said in a statement.<\/p>\n
“If there was any premise indicating that this object was going in the direction of any targets located in Poland, of course, it would have been shot down and more adequate measures would have been taken,” Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said.<\/p>\n