A Ukrainian missile strikes Putin’s 112-year-old warship, which survived both World Wars and is as old as the Titanic

A ukrainian missile struck Putin’s oldest naval vessel in a massive blow to Russia’s forces in Crimea.

Footage showed flames and smoke billowing out from the 112-year-old warship in the occupied port of Sevastopol this morning.

Footage of the ship burning in Sevastopol port

Launch of the Kommuna in St Petersburg, November 1913

Explosions hit the area as Russians were forced to issue a missile warning and close Putin’s prized Crimea bridge.

Fire engines reportedly rushed to the port to put out the blaze on the 315-ft long vessel.

A caption under the dramatic video, shared by Astra on Telegram, said: "The rocket hit the ship. See, it’s burning."

The vessel hit by Ukraine is Kommuna, the world’s oldest navy vessel and a prized member of Putin’s Black Sea fleet.

First launched in 1913, it’s an impressive target for Ukrainian forces after surviving two world wars.

Russian governor of the occupied region, Mikhail Razvozhayev, was forced to admit an anti-ship missile had been launched - sparking a fire.

He claimed that it was "quickly extinguished", but Ukrainian assaults on Russian Black Sea vessels have had great success in recent months.

So much so that Russia has even withdrawn almost all of its major ships from the ports in occupied Crimea.

The Ukrainian navy confirmed the hit today, crediting the "successful work of the navy".

He said: "We confirm. A strike was carried out by the forces of the Naval Forces."

And he added "the ship is definitely not capable of performing its tasks anymore."

One outlet said a Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship strike had damaged the ship - prompting Russian claims that the missile was shot down and resulting debris had sparked the minor blaze.

The Kommuna was apparently being prepped to salvage Putin’s beloved sunken Moskva warship.

An open-source intelligence analyst said it was likely "carrying [a] deep-diving submersible".

The flagship vessel was downed by a Ukrainian missile strike in April 2022, marking a serious and early indicator of Vlad’s Black Sea failures in the face of impressive Kyiv force hits.

Ukraine’s efforts have grown more and more creative as it takes impressive chunks out of Russia’s Black Sea fleet.

By combining powerful missiles like the one used here, with kamikaze sea drones, Zelensky’s army has impressively chipped away at Vlad’s beloved warships.

Security experts have said Ukraine’s smart and aggressive approach has effectively eroded the Russia fleet - much as they have done with tanks across the frontline.

Ukraine has used a combination of conventional missile strikes mixed with more ambitious raids with sea drones.

In response to sustained attacks, Russia has moved some of its warship fleet to Novorossiysk, in the south, away from ports like Odesa in Ukraine and Sevastopol in Crimea.

The Kommuna was being prepped to salvage Russia’s beloved Moskva - downed by Ukraine missiles two years ago

The Kommuna is the oldest warship in the worldCredit: Getty

Ukraine has had great success in targeting Russia’s Black Sea fleet - here the Novocherkassk warship burns in Crimea

Elizabeth Baker