"The Ukrainian Armed Forces together with the intelligence unit of the Ministry of Defense destroyed the large landing ship Tsezar Kunikov" located in the resort town of Alupka on the Black Sea on the southern edge of the Crimean peninsula, the military intelligence and armed forces of Ukraine said.
Russian Navy's large landing ship Tsezar Kunikov. Photo: Reuters
Ukraine's GUR military intelligence service said the warship appeared to be loaded when it sank and had been at a loading site used by the Russian military for about 10 days before the attack.
The statement released grainy footage on Telegram that allegedly showed several naval drones approaching a large ship at night and at least one large explosion.
Footage also showed the ship listing heavily to one side. “In short, the Tsezar Kunikov suffered a serious hole in its port side and began to sink,” the GUR agency said in a statement.
A Ukrainian news agency has released several videos showing a column of smoke rising into the sea off the southern coast of Crimea with helicopters flying overhead.
In its statement, GUR said the warship Tsezar Kunikov, one of Russia's newest ships, has a crew of 87 and has participated in wars in Georgia, Syria and Ukraine.
Ukraine recently used naval drones loaded with explosives to attack Russian warships in the Black Sea, aiming to open up a shipping corridor along a traditional export route.
Ukraine has no major naval vessels left and has been actively scuttling its flagship since the start of the conflict to prevent it from falling into the hands of Russian forces.
Ukraine Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk said Russia has five large landing ships in the Black Sea. Last month, Ukrainian cruise missiles struck another large Russian landing ship in Crimea.
Huy Hoang (according to Reuters)
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