missile strike on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters

Significance

On 22 September 2023, Ukrainian Air Force Su-24s launched Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles against the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol, partially destroying the headquarters building. The strike, designated Operation Crab Trap by Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR), demonstrated Ukraine's capacity to strike high-value command infrastructure deep within Russian-controlled Crimea using Western-supplied stand-off munitions. By targeting the operational nerve center of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, the attack directly threatened the command and coordination capacity of a fleet that had played a significant role in Russia's maritime operations since the 2022 invasion.

Tactics