Ukraine's military says it has struck and damaged a rescue vessel that is part of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, a military port city in Crimea. Russia unilaterally annexed Crimea in 2014.

A Ukrainian media outlet reported that the ship, the Kommuna, caught fire due to an "operation by the Ukrainian Navy" on Sunday, citing a navy spokesperson. While the extent of damage to the vessel was being assessed, it seemed "not fit to perform missions."

The mayor of Sevastopol wrote in a social media post that there was an attack on one of the ships there, though it was repelled. The mayor added that fallen fragments caused a small fire, which was promptly extinguished.

According to Ukrainian media, the submarine rescue ship Kommuna, launched in 1913 during the Russian Empire, is the oldest vessel operated by the current Russian Navy.

Russian forces are apparently pushing toward Chasiv Yar, a foothold in western Bakhmut in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. The Russian military said its troops took control of villages near Chasiv Yar on Sunday and Monday.

A senior Ukrainian national guard official admitted Russia's successful advance toward Chasiv Yar in an interview with a local media outlet on Sunday.

The Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, said Ukrainian troops "may suffer additional setbacks in the coming weeks while waiting for US security assistance." It said Russia will likely intensify "missile and drone strikes in the coming weeks."