Ukraine's military said on Wednesday it had sunk a Russian landing ship in the Black Sea using naval drones, a report that has not been confirmed by Russian forces.
It is the Russian amphibious assault ship named Caesar Kunikov, which sank near Alupka, a town on the southern tip of the Crimean peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014, Ukraine's General Staff said.
Kiev announced that the ship can carry 87 crew members.
The Russian landing craft can carry 87 crew members. The sinking of the vessel would be another embarrassing blow to Russia's Black Sea fleet and a major success for Ukraine 10 days before the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.
Ukraine has problems in the war, from low ammunition supplies and personnel shortages, but continues to strike at Russian rears along a largely static 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) front.
It is the second time in two weeks that Ukrainian forces have announced that they have sunk a Russian vessel in the Black Sea.
Last week, they released a video they said showed naval drones attacking the Russian missile corvette Ivanovets.
It is recalled that of the 28 Russian Ropucha-class landing craft, there is now one ship left in naval service.
Ukraine's Military Intelligence Service, known by its Ukrainian acronym GUR, said its "Group 13" special operations unit sank the Russian landing craft Caesar Kunikov using Magura V5 maritime unmanned aerial vehicles on Wednesday, damaging the vessel on its left side .
The same unit also struck on February 1st. according to officials.
Ukrainian attacks on Russian aircraft and ships in the Black Sea have helped push Moscow's naval forces off the coast, allowing Kiev to increase critical exports of grain and other goods through its southern ports.
A new generation of unmanned weapon systems has become the focus of warfare, both at sea and on land.
We are talking about the Magura V5 drone, which looks like a sleek black speedboat, was introduced last year. It reportedly has a top speed of 42 knots (80 km/h; 50 mph) and a payload of 320 kg (700 lb).
The Russian military did not immediately comment on the alleged sinking, saying only that it shot down six Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea overnight.
The Caesar Kunikov, the Russian vessel was named after the Soviet Union's World War II hero for his exploits and died on February 14, the same day as the Ukrainian drone strike, in 1943.
