Ukraine claims to have sunk a Russian amphibious warship in the Black Sea

Russia has not yet commented on the incident.

“The Armed Forces of Ukraine, together with the intelligence unit of the Ministry of Defense , destroyed the large landing ship Tsezar Kunikov. The ship appeared in the territorial waters of Ukraine near Alupka when it was destroyed,” the Ukrainian military wrote on Telegram.

The Black Sea resort town of Alupka is not far from Yalta in southern Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.

“Today we have gained additional security in the Black Sea and momentum for our people. This is an important development,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening video report.

Ukraine's GUR military intelligence service said the warship was fully armed when it was sunk and had spent 10 days at a Russian military armament facility before the attack.

The agency posted several videos on Telegram, claiming they showed unmanned vessels moving close to a large vessel at night and at least one explosion.

Reuters has identified the warship in the footage as the Tsezar Kunikov, a Russian Black Sea Fleet ship, based on its main mast, antenna, bridge and deck. The location and date of the footage could not be independently verified.

Some footage shows the ship badly damaged and tilted to one side.

World - Ukraine claims to have sunk a Russian landing ship in the Black Sea — Photo: REUTERS/Yoruk Isik/File photo.

“In summary, the Tsez'ar Kunikov has suffered heavy damage on its port side and has begun to sink,” the GUR agency wrote in a statement.

GUR said the Project 775 warship is one of Russia's newest warships, has a crew of 87 and has participated in wars in Georgia, Syria and Ukraine.

A Ukrainian news site posted several videos showing smoke rising over the sea on the southern coast of Crimea with several helicopters flying around.

Ukraine has used explosive-laden naval drones to attack Russian warships to push them out of the Black Sea, allowing Ukraine to open a shipping corridor along with an export route.

Ukraine no longer possesses large naval vessels and proactively sank its flagship as soon as the war broke out to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Russian military.

The unmanned vessels have taken on great importance for the Ukrainian military as the country tries to close a huge gap in naval combat capabilities with Russia, whose Black Sea Fleet Kyiv has long tried to erode.

A senior US State Department official has described the use of unmanned vessels as “an asymmetric solution that balances the security landscape in the Black Sea” and has helped improve Ukraine’s economy and maintain its warfighting capabilities.

“The fact that the Russian navy cannot operate freely in the Black Sea, compared to how it operated there in the early stages of the war, is a significant change in the strategic position in the Black Sea region,” said the official, who asked to remain anonymous.

According to Reuters, the Ukrainian military claims to have “destroyed” 25 Russian military vessels and a submarine in the fighting so far. Last month, Ukrainian cruise missiles damaged a Russian amphibious assault ship in Crimea.

Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Reuters)

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