Ukraine claims to have severely damaged and sunk a Russian landing ship in its latest drone attack against Moscow’s fleet.
Ukraine’s main directorate of intelligence of the Ministry of Defence confirmed the attack in its website. “On February 14, 2024, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, in cooperation with all components of the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine, destroyed the large landing ship “Caesar Kunikov” of the Black Sea fleet of the aggressor state of Russia,” the statement wrote.
Ukraine’s intelligence directorate released video of what it said were Magura V5 sea drones striking the ship.
Ukrainian media outlets had in their frontpage headlines about the naval drone attack carried out by the Ukrainian forces.
“A swarm of Ukrainian robot drones on Wednesday morning sank one of the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s heaviest warships still afloat, in another blow to Kremlin naval power in the region,” the local newspaper Kyiv Post wrote.
The Ukrainian armed forces and units of the Ukrainian Defense ministry’s main intelligence directorate destroyed Russia’s Caesar Kunikov large landing ship near Alupka, Crimea, early on February 14, as the national news agency Ukrinform reported, citing information from a post in the social media of the General Staff of the armed forces of Ukraine.
According to the General Staff, at the time of the attack, the ship was in the territorial waters of Ukraine near Alupka.
The information is also confirmed by Kyiv Post which reported that at “least three attack boats loaded with explosives and remotely controlled by operators from Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Directorate for Intelligence (HUR), struck the heavy assault ship Caesar Kunikov as the vessel was close offshore from the Crimean resort town of Alupka.”
Initial strikes took place shortly after 6 a.m. before sunrise, and the vessel was in flames, according to Kyiv Post.
