The Ukrainian General Staff claims responsibility for the destruction on Wednesday of the Tsezar Kounikov, a 112-meter-long Russian landing ship in the Black Sea, using naval drones. The sinking has not been confirmed by Russian authorities.
According to the Ukrainian army, the amphibious ship Tsezar Kounikov sank this Wednesday near Alupka, a town located at the southern end of Crimea, a peninsula illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014. Kyiv’s general staff said that It could carry 87 crew members.
The Russian military did not immediately comment on the incident, saying only that it had shot down six Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea overnight.
The sinking would constitute a new blow for the Russian Black Sea Fleet and an important success for Ukraine, ten days before the second anniversary of the large-scale assault launched by Russia, on February 24, 2022.
Ukraine has gone on the defensive in the war, hampered by low ammunition reserves and a shortage of personnel, but it has continued its strikes behind the 1,500-kilometer front line, which is largely static.
This is the second time in two weeks that Ukrainian forces have claimed to have sunk a Russian ship in the Black Sea. Last week, they released a video they said showed naval drones attacking the Russian missile-equipped corvette Ivanovets.
Naval drones
Ukraine’s military intelligence service, known by the Ukrainian acronym GUR, said its special operations unit “Group 13” sank the Tsezar Kounikov using naval drones on Wednesday. Explosions damaged the ship on its port side, the GUR said.
After analyzing the video, the private intelligence company Ambrey believes that it shows that the attack was carried out by at least three drones, and that the ship had probably sunk after tilting sharply.
The Tsezar Kounikov was likely part of the Russian fleet that escorts merchant ships calling at Crimean ports, according to Ambrey.
Ukrainian attacks on Russian aircraft and ships in the Black Sea have helped gradually push Moscow’s naval forces back from the eastern Black Sea. Enough to allow Kyiv to preserve its vital grain exports via its southern ports.
As on land, the drone arsenal has become a centerpiece of maritime warfare. The Magura V5 drone, which looks like a black star, was unveiled last year. It would be capable of reaching a top speed of 43 nautical knots (around 80 km/h) and a payload of 320 kilograms. Enough to make it a formidable weapon.