Ukraine’s drone blitz sinks ship
Huge Black Sea setback for Kremlin
A MAJOR Russian warship has been destroyed by Ukrainian forces in a mass drone attack.
Unmanned naval drones were aimed at the amphibious landing ship Caesar Kunikov, while it was off the Crimea Peninsula in the Black Sea yesterday.
The sinking is a huge blow to the Kremlin, effectively destroying their ability to launch special forces commandos for coastal assaults.
The 369ft vessel – which has a crew of
98 – also carries tanks and cargo.
Ukraine’s main intelligence directorate, the GUR, said that its special ops unit Group 13 sank the vessel using Magura V5 sea drones, which are believed to have a top speed of 50mph and carry 700lbs of explosives.
“The Caesar Kunikov suffered critical holes in its port side and began to sink,” the GUR reported.
Intelligence firm Ambrey said the video showed at least three drones targeting the ship and it likely sank after listing heavily on its port side.
The Caesar Kunikov was probably part of the Russian fleet escorting merchant vessels that call at Crimean ports, Ambrey said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment yesterday but several Russian military bloggers confirmed the attack on the ship, while stopping short of confirming that it had sunk. Attacks on Russian aircraft and ships in the Black Sea have helped push Moscow’s naval forces back from the coast and have allowed Kyiv to increase crucial exports of grain and goods. Meanwhile, an overnight Russian attack on the city of Selydove, in eastern Donetsk, hit a medical facility and a residential building, killing a child and a pregnant woman.
The Caesar Kunikov had holes & began to sink
GUR UKRAINIAN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE