On February 14, the Russian landing ship “Tsezar Kunikov” was sunk in the Black Sea. New videos of the attack now show the challenges Russian naval sailors face from Ukrainian naval drones.
The “Tsezar Kunikov” was a large Russian landing ship of the Roucha class that was launched in 1986. Since then it has taken part in several combat missions, for example in Georgia and Syria. The ship, which can accommodate a crew of up to 87 people, has been in service in the Black Sea and off Crimea since 2022. There it was sunk on February 14 during an attack by Ukrainian maritime drones of the “Magura V5” type. Exactly 81 years earlier, on the same day, the ship’s namesake, a Russian officer, died in World War II.
According to the Ukrainian military, 26 Russian ships and boats have been sunk or destroyed since the start of the conflict. Many of them through the use of naval drones – most recently the brand new corvette “Sergei Kotov”.
Until now, videos of such attacks have often only been viewed from the attackers’ perspective. The new video now also shows what happened on board the “Tsezar Kunikov” at the same time. And it seems to indicate how overwhelmed the Russian crew was by the nighttime drone strikes. Using flashlights and tracer ammunition, they tried to spot the agile drones approaching their ship. And shot them with hand-held light machine guns. There are no mounted weapons seen in the video.
The special unit “Group 13” of the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Service was responsible for the attack. According to reports, ten naval drones were used, of which the Russians reportedly repulsed five in a firefight that lasted about 20 minutes. The remaining five hit and sank the “Tsezar Kunikov”, which was off the coast of Alpuka at the time of the attack.
Information about the whereabouts of the crew is contradictory. Ukraine said most of the crew were killed in the attack, while a Russian crew member told the BBC that everyone had been successfully evacuated into the lifeboats after the first drone hit.
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
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