A newly built Russian naval corvette was “almost certainly damaged” after being struck in occupied Crimea, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in its intelligence update. The Karakurt-class Askold warship was launched in 2021 and had not been yet commissioned into the Russian navy, the MoD said, citing Ukrainian and Russian sources. The Russian word “Karakurt” means “Black Widow spider”. Russian officials claimed Ukrainian cruise missiles were aimed at the Zaliv shipyard in Kerch on 4 November. The officials confirmed the attacks had struck one of its small warships. Askold is one of Russia’s Kalibr cruise missile carriers. The Commander of Ukraine’s air force, Lt Gen Mykola Oleshchuk, had earlier said he believed a vessel carrying the Kalibr missiles was struck, and suggested Kyiv used long-range French Scalp cruise missiles. Andriy Ryzhenko, a captain in the Ukrainian naval reserve, also said he believed the vessel struck by the missile was one belonging to the Karakurt Project 22800 – a new class of Russian corvettes. The damage to the Russian Black Sea fleet ship was significant, according to The Institute for the Study of War (ISW). “Russian and Ukrainian sources posted photos on November 7 showing significant damage to the Askold Project 22800 Karakurt-class Kalibr missile carrier corvette that will likely render it inoperable for the foreseeable future,” it said on Tuesday in its assessment, referring to the ship’s full name. These attacks by Ukrainian forces are part of a campaign against Russian military infrastructure, especially Black Sea Fleet assets, in occupied Crimea to “degrade the Russian military’s ability to use Crimea as a staging and rear area for Russian operations in southern Ukraine”, the ISW said. The UK MoD also said the strikes were “farther to the east in Crimea than most previous Ukrainian-claimed long-range strikes”. It said the attack could mean Russia may have to consider relocating its shipbuilding infrastructure farther away from the front line, something that could further delay the delivery of new ships. Earlier this week, satellite photos appeared to show damage to the Russian corvette and a firefighting vessel along with booms – or temporary floating barriers – in the water to stop oil leaks from the damaged ship. Photos showed the still-afloat vessel had some burn marks. The measurements of the vessel and its shape corresponded to those of a Karakurt-class corvette. This class of ships are designed to carry around eight Kalibr cruise missiles at a time. Kyiv has been gearing up to launch a major winter drone offensive against Russia’s ongoing invasion once harsh winter conditions hamper ground attacks, a top military official had told The Independent recently. Brigadier General Serhiy Baranov, the chief of the military unit overseeing drone operations, had warned Crimea, that was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, and border areas within Russia would be subject to renewed aerial bombardment. Read More Pro-Palestinian groups defy police calls to call off Armistice Day march Police urge organisers to cancel Armistice weekend protests Scope of inquest into man’s death in incident involving soldiers to be looked at Not possible to hear Loughgall inquest before legislation cut-off, judge says First charter flight for Afghan refugees living in Pakistan arrives in London UK scrambles charter flights to bring Afghans stuck in Pakistan hotels to safety

A drone buzzed back and forth above rows of verdant orange trees planted near...

With the Cincinnati Reds destined to once again miss the postseason in 2023, expect there to be plenty of trade rumors surrounding the team. But which members of the Reds could be on the move at the MLB trade deadline?Mired in the bottom of what has been a less-than-dominant National League Cent...

Germany’s investor outlook improved for a fourth month, signaling hope that Europe’s biggest economy may be stabilizing as

FC Cincinnati return to action for the first time in over two weeks against Philadelphia Union in MLS Cup playoffs.

An Illinois jury has found that several major egg producers in the U.S. conspired to price-fix eggs between 2004 and 2008

President Joe Biden has told G7 leaders that the United States would support providing fighter jets, including American-made F-16 jets, senior administration officials said. Mr Biden is currently in Japan for a G7 summit, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky calling the decision one that would “greatly enhance our army in the sky.” Ukrainian officials had said they needed up to 200 jets to push back against Russia’s aggression, which is thought to be five to six times the size of Ukraine’s. The Biden administration’s decision means that other countries can now export their F-16 jets since the United States must legally approve if its allies want to re-export equipment they purchased. The administration official said that the United States would “support a joint effort with our allies and partners to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation fighter aircraft, including F-16s, to further strengthen and improve the capabilities of the Ukrainian Air Force.” “As the training takes place over the coming months, our coalition of countries participating in this effort will decide when to actually provide jets, how many we will provide, and who will provide them,” the official said. The United States has previously hesitated to provide Ukraine with fighter jets after Russia invaded the nation early last year. “The UK will work together with the USA and the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark to get Ukraine the combat air capability it needs,” United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted. He added that the UK would set up a flight school to train Ukrainian pilots. Mr Zelensky has stressed the need for F-16 jets, which can travel at twice the speed of sound and can engage with targets both in the air and on the ground. But some allies have worried that sending jets to Ukraine would be seen as escalating the war and risking direct conflict with Russia. Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: US to provide F-16 fighter jets in battle against Putin Zelensky accuses some Arab leaders of ‘turning a blind eye’ to Russian invasion of Ukraine UN envoy reportedly meeting Russian official accused of war crimes for deporting Ukrainian children

Extreme heat in the summer has become America's brutal new reality. But local, state and federal aid programs and infrastructure to help people cool down haven't kept up with the country's record-shattering temperatures.

Niall Horan hopes to hear 'The Voice' Season 24 singer Olivia Eden sing Country music in the show

Pricing the streaming options is a headache.

The Indian government's forthcoming tax on the industry doesn't apply to all types of games.

Squash has never been in the Olympics despite decades of trying, but players and officials hope that the 150-year-old sport will finally get...