- 20:44,
- Updated: 8:42,
ANOTHER Russian warship has reportedly been destroyed after the naval vessel was caught in a mysterious fire.
Ukrainian military sources claim that one of Russia's Navy logistic ships was struck by a Neptune missile while supplying Putin's forces on Snake Island.
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs, claimed the ship struck was a brand new auxiliary ship named the Vsevolod Bobrov.
The logistical vessel is just under 95m long and weighs around 4,900 tonnes.
It was launched in 2016.
The stricken vessel, which was gutted in the blaze, reportedly fled back to the port city of Sevastopol in Russian-controlled Crimea.
Russia's Black Sea Fleet had been using Vsevolod Bobrov as a landing ship to supply Snake Island.
It was earlier claimed that the fire may have started by accident, but later reports say that the scale of the blaze could only have been caused by a powerful anti-ship cruise missile, such as the Neptune, which was responsible for the sinking of Russia's flagship missile cruiser, the Moskva.
The powerful strike reportedly took place on Wednesday night, while the ship was bringing a Pantsir missile system to the Russian troops on the island.
A regional spokesman in Odesa, Sergey Bratchuk, first announced the news.
Writing on the messaging app Telegram, he said: "As a result of the actions of our Navy, the Vsevolod Bobrov logistics ship, one of the newest in the Russian fleet, set on fire.
"They say she is limping towards Sevastopol."
He said that "the information is yet to be clarified," but added: "The fact that she suffered a 'snake bite' in the area of Snake Island is true."
Russia's navy only has two such logistic warships, and the other, the Elbrus, is currently docked in the Arctic Russian port of Murmansk.
On Thursday morning, Ukraine's official statistics on Russian losses showed another ship had reportedly been destroyed over the past day but didn't give further details.
Ukraine's military claims that a total of 13 Russian warships and boats, including its flagship missile cruiser Moskva, have been destroyed since the start of the war on February 24.
At least six of those ships have been attacked close to Snake Island.
Earlier this month, it was reported that the Russian Navy warship Admiral Makarov had reportedly been struck by Ukrainian Neptune missiles.
Video footage circulating on social media showed plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky from the Makarov.
The new missile frigate was thought to be a valuable target for Ukrainian missile crews as one of the most modern vessels in the Russian Navy.
Last week, aerial footage appeared to show the destruction of a large Serna-type landing craft on Snake Island in an airstrike.
In the video, a drone appears to be locking onto a target before unleashing its powerful cargo on the unsuspecting Russians.
Thick black smoke was seen rising overhead in satellite photos in the aftermath of the strike.
Snake Island - also known as Serpent Island or Zmiinyi Island - is a Ukrainian territory in the Black Sea.
In 1842, the Russian Empire's Black Sea Fleet built the Snake Island Lighthouse.
During World War I, the island hosted a wireless station operated by Russia as a part of its alliance with Romania.
After World War II, the Soviet Union took control of the island, but it was inherited by Ukraine once the USSR fell in 1990.
The news about Putin's scuttled ship comes as dramatic pictures show a Russian "tank graveyard" after 52 vehicles were blown up in a single battle.
Fresh satellite images lay bare the true scale of the destruction of Russia's failed assault along the river near Bilohorivka, west of Lysychansk.
The photos show two destroyed pontoon bridges drifting down the waterway surrounded by bombed-out tanks and armoured vehicles.
It appears Russian commanders tried to surround the cities of Lysychansk and Severodonetsk by crossing the body of water but had their surprise attack thwarted by Ukrainian troops who correctly guessed their plans.
Maxim, a Twitter user claiming to be a Ukrainian military engineer, said he identified the exact spot Russia was most likely to cross on May 7 and told his commanders, who ordered troops to be on the lookout for sounds of tugboat engines pushing a pontoon bridge.
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