A Russian admiral has finally admitted that Ukraine sank one of its ships in a missile strike- a year after the attack first took place.

Exactly one year ago, Ukraine launched an attack on a captured Russian seaport in the occupied city of Berdyansk, in Zaporizhzhia.

The attack destroyed the Russian landing ship Saratov and caused damage to two more ships, the Novocherkassk and Caesar Kunikov. 

Around a dozen sailors were killed in the attack across all three landing ships, along with an unknown number of elite marines.

The Ukrainian MoD shared a video a missile strike that hit Saratov landing ship- but Russia refused to acknowledge it until now (Picture: Ukriaine Ministry of Defence)

After previously refusing to acknowledge the attack or the damage it wrought, a Russian Black Sea admiral today admitted that Ukraine had managed to sink the vessel, although he refused to concede the total number of lost men.

The admission came at a sombre memorial ceremony involving grieving relatives presided over by senior Black Sea Fleet commander Rear Admiral Felix Menkov.

‘A year ago, in combat, we lost the amphibious force ship Saratov,’ said Menkov.

‘[We] lost the crew of the Saratov, Novocherkassk, Caesar Kunikov landing ships,

‘Today is the first mournful anniversary.

‘We gathered to commemorate our comrades, to remember them.’

He fought back emotion as he said: ‘Our children and grandchildren should be raised with such role models of love and service to the Fatherland.’

A Russian admiral finally acknowledged the attack on the anniversary of the Saratov’s sinking (Picture: East2West)

A plaque names a dozen Russian servicemen who died in the strike, but it is unclear if this was the full toll.

It also makes clear that elite marines were among those who died.

At the time of the attack, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi, released a video of the strike on his Telegram which showed missiles hitting the Saratov, which had been set ablaze.

‘The large amphibious ships Orsk, Cesar Kunnikov, Novocherkask were damaged, Saratov was destroyed,’ the Commander wrote.

‘The myth of the invulnerability of the Russian fleet was destroyed by well-targeted strikes of the AFU. This once again proved an irrefutable fact: the enemy will not rest on Ukrainian land: neither on land nor on water.

Nine were killed on the day of the strike, and three perished from wounds later.

The strike on the Saratov came exactly one month into the bloody war unleashed by Vladimir Putin, but until now the regime had refused to acknowledge the loss.

It was three weeks before the Black Sea Fleet’s flagship – the cruiser Moskva – was destroyed by the Ukrainians.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

The Russian landing ship Saratov was sank by Ukrainians on March 24, 2022.