A RUSSIAN rocket firing landing ship and a Kilo-class submarine were reportedly severely damaged in a missile attack at Sevastopol in the Crimea, reports Fort Lauderdale's Maritime Executive.

Ukraine claims to have attacked and damaged one of the rarest vessels in the world - a Bora-class missile boat, one of two surface effect ships (SES) in the Russian Navy and one of about one dozen in existence.

Russia has acknowledged the missile strike on the shipyard and has confirmed an attempted drone boat attack in the Black Sea.

The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed last week that the drone attack was unsuccessful, but Ukrainian defence sources have told media that one of the drones reached its target - the Samum, a missile boat with the speed of a Littoral Combat Ship and the armament of a destroyer.

An image of the Samum re-entering Sevastopol under tow has circulated on social media, and appears to show the vessel trimmed by the stern. This has prompted speculation that it may have sustained damage, though the vessel has often been photographed in operation in a similar state of trim.

According to naval analyst HI Sutton, the tugboats are not a clue in and of themselves, as the Russian Black Sea Fleet often uses a close tug escort for warships moving in and out of the Sevastopol harbour.