Ukraine says it successfully destroyed a Russian landing vessel in the Black Sea | DW News

Kyiv's military said its forces supported by military intelligence units have "destroyed" the Russian ship, the Caesar Kunikov, in the Black Sea. "It was in Ukrainian territorial waters near Alupka at the time of the hit," the military posted on the messaging app Telegram. The targeted vessel, described as "a large Russian landing ship," took part in Russian military operations in Georgia in 2008. An earlier report from local media outlet Ukrainska Pravda said sea drones had struck and damaged a ship off the Crimean Peninsula. The news organization's website showed several videos of a column of smoke over the sea off the southern coast of Crimea, with helicopters also seen flying over the area. Meanwhile, Moscow said it had intercepted six Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea, which has become a key battleground in the war, with Kyiv's forces having escalated attacks there more recently. Ukrainian cruise missiles hit a large Russian landing warship in Crimea in December, killing at least one person.

The Caesar Kunikov amphibious ship sank near Alupka, a city on the southern edge of the Crimean peninsula that Moscow annexed in 2014, Ukraine's General Staff said. It said the ship could carry 87 crew members.