Ukraine says it has destroyed and sunk a large Russian warship off the coast of occupied Crimea.
The Caesar Kunikov, a large landing ship was attacked by Magura V5 naval drones on Wednesday near Alupka, a city on the southern edge of the Crimean Peninsula that Moscow annexed in 2014, Kyiv says. Grainy footage released shows what appears to be the damaged ship and smoke rising above it.
Ukraine’s Military Intelligence, known by its Ukrainian acronym GUR, said its special operations unit “Group 13” sank the Caesar Kunikov using Magura V5 sea drones which breached the vessel’s port side and caused it to start sinking.
The Caesar Kunikov, a Russian amphibious ship
UKRAINE MISSILE ATTACK STRIKES RUSSIAN WARSHIP IN CRIMEA, KILLING AT LEAST 1
There was no immediate comment from Russia, which said earlier that it had destroyed six drones in the Black Sea. The Kremlin declined to comment.
“The Ukrainian Armed Forces, together with the Defence Ministry’s intelligence unit, destroyed the Tsezar Kunikov large landing ship. It was in Ukraine’s territorial waters near Alupka at the time of the hit,” the military said on Telegram messenger.
The Black Sea resort town of Alupka lies not far from Yalta on the southern edge of Crimea, which Russian forces seized and annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
Reuters was able to verify the ship in the video as the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s Tsezar Kunikov based on its main mast, antenna, bridge and deck, although the location and date the footage was filmed could not be independently verified.
The ship was built in Poland and launched in 1986.
A screenshot of the attack on the Caesar Kunikov (Anadolu Agency via Reuters)
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It is the second time in two weeks that Ukrainian forces have said they sank a Russian vessel in the Black Sea. Last week, they published a video that they said showed naval drones assaulting the Russian missile-armed corvette Ivanovets.
The sinking comes as the war nears its second anniversary and after Moscow’s ambassador to the UK insisted on Tuesday that “Russia cannot be beaten” because of its “enormous” resources, according to Sky News.
U.S. lawmakers are considering sending more financial support to Ukraine to help its war effort, with the Senate controversially approving a $95 billion bill, $60 billion of which is being earmarked for Ukraine.
Ukraine President Zelenskyy holding his hands up with a Ukraine flag in the background (Viktor Kovalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Ukrainian attacks on Russian aircraft and ships in the Black Sea have helped push Moscow’s naval forces back from the coast, allowing Kyiv to increase crucial exports of grain and other goods through its southern ports.
The Magura V5 drone was unveiled last year and looks like a sleek black speedboat. It reportedly has a top speed of 42 knots (80 kph, 50 mph) and a payload of 320 kilograms (700 pounds).
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.