Russia’s defense ministry says it destroys Ukraine’s ’last warship’, takes positions near Avdiivka

Russia’s defense ministry said on Wednesday (May 31) that its forces had destroyed what it described as Ukraine’s “last warship“ two days ago in the port of Odesa in a missile strike, though there was no immediate comment from Kyiv on the fate of the vessel. “The last warship of the Ukrainian navy, the Yuriy Olefirenko, was destroyed at a warship mooring in the port of Odesa,“ Defence Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a daily briefing on the war. He said the vessel had been hit with “high-precision weapons“ on May 29, but gave no further details. Ukraine’s armed forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ukrainian officials said on Monday that Russia had put five aircraft out of action in an attack on a military target in western Ukraine and caused a fire at the Black Sea port of Odesa in heavy air strikes early on Monday. Reuters was unable to independently verify the battlefield accounts of either side.