Putin's Black Sea warship DESTROYED in Christmas attack using British Storm Shadow missiles
British Storm Shadow missiles are thought to have been used to destroy a Russian warship
REUTERS
British Storm Shadow missiles are thought to have been used to destroy a Russian warship docked in Crimea, in a Boxing Day strike by Ukrainian fighter jets.
Russia's Novocherkassk ship was struck at around 3am local time with the four people killed.
Video footage shows a huge fire caused by an explosion in the port of Feodosia.
Putin was personally told about the loss of the ship by Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
The loss of Novocherkassk is a major blow to Russia's attempts to seize more Ukrainian territory along the Black Sea coast
REUTERS
The Kremlin described the briefing as "very detailed".
The loss of Novocherkassk is a major blow to Russia's attempts to seize more Ukrainian territory along the Black Sea coast.
The ship is often used to carry tanks, armoured vehicles and troops ashore.
Ukraine said the extensive damage caused by the explosion meant that it was unlikely the vessel was in any fit state to be deployed again.
Air Force Spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said: "We can see how powerful the explosion was, what the detonation was like.
"After that, it’s very hard for a ship to survive, because this was not a rocket, this is the detonation of munitions."
Ukraine had used cruise missiles in the attack, without specifying what kind, Ihnat said.
Both Britain and France have supplied Kyiv with such missiles.
While Russia's naval capabilities may have been impacted, it has continued its assault on Ukraine in the air.
Overnight it launched a total of 46 attack drones in several waves, Ukraine's air force said on Wednesday, adding that its air-defence systems shot down 32 of the drones.
Most of the drones not shot down hit the front-line territories in Ukraine's east and west, in particular the Kherson region, the air force said on the Telegram messaging app.