Ukraine Claims To Have Sunk Another Russian Warship In Black Sea Drone Strike
Ukraine claims to have sunk another Russian warship in Black Sea drone strike, according to a report from Kyiv's military on Wednesday. The warship was destroyed off the southern coast of occupied Crimea.
Author:Rhyley CarneyReviewer:Paula M. GrahamFeb 15, 20245K Shares67K Views
Ukraine claims to have sunk another Russian warship in Black Sea drone strike, according to a report from Kyiv's military on Wednesday. The warship was destroyed off the southern coast of occupied Crimea.
According to Ukrainian intelligence services (GUR), a video was posted showing multiple naval drones launching an assault on the Caesar Kunikov, a Ropucha-class landing ship measuring 113 meters long and carrying a crew of 90 personnel. The attack occurred in the early hours of Wednesday. This incident represents another setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Black Sea fleet while serving as a significant victory for Ukraine.
"The Ukrainian Armed Forces, together with the Defense Ministry's intelligence unit, destroyed the Caesar Kunikov large landing ship," a statement from the GUR read. "It was in Ukrainian territorial waters near Alupka at the time of the hit."
They added: "The Caesar Kunikov suffered critical holes in its port side and began to sink."
Kyiv has been steadily working to challenge Russia's initial supremacy in the Black Sea by deploying drones and long-range missiles. With the front-line situation growing more challenging, the strikes in the Black Sea have gained heightened importance.
The latest attack used the Magura V5 drone, resembling a sleek black speedboat, which was revealed by Kyiv last year. It boasts a top speed of 42 knots (50 mph) and carries an explosive payload of 320 kg.
The recently appointed head of Ukraine’s armed forces, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, described the situation along critical sections of the 600-mile land front as "extremely complex and tense."
“„At this time, the situation can be assessed as difficult ... the enemy is now advancing along almost the entire front line, and we have moved from offensive operations to conducting a defensive operation. The objective of our defense operation is to exhaust the enemy’s forces, inflict maximum losses on him, using our fortifications, our advantages in terms of technology, in terms of using unmanned aircraft, means of electronic warfare, and maintaining prepared defense lines.- Col. Gen. Syrskyi during an interview with German TV channel ZDF
Col Gen Syrskyi emphasized the reinforcement of units striving to defend the key town of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine against Russian incursion. "We are doing everything possible to prevent the enemy from advancing deep into our territory," he stated on social media.
Additionally, he underscored the significance of employing innovative technologies like drones in Ukraine's confrontation with Russian forces. Following the recent drone attack, Ukrainian media shared footage depicting a column of smoke rising off the coast of Alupka, located 40 miles southeast of Russia's Black Sea fleet headquarters in Sevastopol Bay.
A witness speaking to a local Telegram channel Crimean Wind reported seeing "flashes in the sea followed by explosions."
Moscow chose not to comment on the recent attack, although the Defense Ministry had previously announced the destruction of six drones in the Black Sea. However, Russian military bloggers have acknowledged the attack. "Time after time the Black Sea fleet turns out to be incompetent and unable to repel attacks from Ukrainian units," wrote Rybar, a well-known Russian military blogger.
"Two years have passed since the start of the [invasion]," he added. "There are not the best reviews about the command of the Black Sea fleet among subordinate military personnel: and this could still be chalked up to ordinary grumbling, if not for the fact of systematic fire destruction of Black Sea fleet facilities by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. At this point I just want to say: 'It's time to change approaches.' What's the point?"
Thord Are Iversen, an independent defense analyst specializing in the Russian navy, stated that the footage indicated Ukraine had achieved multiple drone hits, resulting in the sinking of the warship.
"The Ropucha was attacked by multiple unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), which scored multiple hits, before starting to go down by the stern and then capsizing," he told reporters.
This would mark the second successful attack on a ship in the Black Sea this month. In early February, the GUR released footage of a Ukrainian naval drone strike on the Ivanovets, a Russian missile carrier, off the coast of Crimea.
During that incident, Ukraine’s military intelligence shared a blurry video depicting several sea drones assaulting the Russian corvette, leading to the ship listing and sinking amidst onboard explosions. Ukraine has been targeting Russian warships to force them out of the western parts of the Black Sea, thereby potentially opening a shipping corridor along a historically significant export route.
As the "breadbasket of Europe," Ukraine's ability to export grain via the Black Sea is crucial to its economy. However, Russia has blocked these routes since withdrawing from a United Nations-brokered deal last year.
In December, Ukrainian cruise missiles targeted another sizable Russian landing warship in Crimea. Within the same month, a senior Ukrainian security official asserted that they had incapacitated 20 percent of the Russian Black Sea fleet. According to the Ukrainian military, they have destroyed 25 Russian military vessels and ships, along with one submarine, during the ongoing conflict.
Following several lethal attacks earlier in the year, dozens of warships had been relocated from Crimea to the Russian port of Novorossiysk, situated more than 100 miles away from the occupied peninsula. Military blogger Corporal Frisk, specializing in naval movements, proposed that the sinking of Caesar Kunikov dealt a significant blow to Russia.
"They [landing ships] are hard-working, and are next to impossible to replace in the Black Sea during the duration of the war, and difficult to replace in general for the Russian navy," he wroteon Twitter/X.
The Caesar Kunikov had previously sustained damage from a Ukrainian missile strike while docked in Russian-occupied Berdyansk in March 2022. Named after Second World War naval officer Caesar Lvovich Kunikov, who tragically lost his life 81 years ago today, the attack by Ukraine was likely deliberately carried out on the anniversary of his death.
Rhyley Carney
Author
Paula M. Graham
Reviewer
Latest Articles
Popular Articles