Current:Home > StocksUkrainian military says it sank a Russian landing ship in the Black Sea -PrimeFinance
Ukrainian military says it sank a Russian landing ship in the Black Sea
View
Date:2025-04-17 21:25:15
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s military said Wednesday it used naval drones to sink a Russian landing ship in the Black Sea, a report that has not been confirmed by Russian authorities.
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 can carry 87 crew members.
Sinking the vessel would be another embarrassing blow for the Russian Black Sea fleet and a significant success for Ukraine 10 days before the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on the claim during a conference call with reporters Wednesday. He said questions should be addressed to the Russian military.
Ukraine has moved onto the defensive in the war, hindered by low ammunition supplies and a shortage of personnel, but has kept up its strikes behind the largely static 1,500-kilometer (930-mile) front line.
It is the second time in two weeks that Ukrainian forces have said they sank a Russian vessel in the Black Sea. Last week, they published a video that they said showed naval drones assaulting the Russian missile-armed corvette Ivanovets.
Ukraine’s Military Intelligence, known by its Ukrainian acronym GUR, said its special operations unit “Group 13” sank the Caesar Kunikov using Magura V5 sea drones on Wednesday. Explosions damaged the vessel on its left side, it said, though a heavily edited video it released was unclear. The same unit also struck on Feb. 1, according to officials.
The private intelligence firm Ambrey said the video showed that at least three drones conducted the attack and that the ship likely sank after listing heavily on its port side.
The Caesar Kunikov probably was part of the Russian fleet escorting merchant vessels that call at Crimean ports, Ambrey said.
Ukrainian attacks on Russian aircraft and ships in the Black Sea have helped push Moscow’s naval forces back from the coast, allowing Kyiv to increase crucial exports of grain and other goods through its southern ports.
A new generation of unmanned weapons systems has become a centerpiece of the war, both at sea and on land.
The Magura V5 drone, which looks like a sleek black speedboat, was unveiled last year. It reportedly has a top speed of 42 knots (80 kph, 50 mph) and a payload of 320 kilograms (700 pounds).
The Russian military did not immediately comment on the claimed sinking, saying only that it downed six Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea overnight.
Caesar Kunikov, for whom the Russian vessel was named, was a World War II hero of the Soviet Union for his exploits and died on Feb. 14, the same day as the Ukrainian drone strike, in 1943.
In other developments, an overnight Russian attack on the town of Selydove in the eastern Donetsk region struck a medical facility and a residential building, killing a child and a pregnant woman, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on social media. Three other children were wounded, he said.
Selydove is just 25 kilometers (16 miles) from the front line.
Nine Ukrainian civilians were killed and at least 25 people wounded by Russian shelling over the previous 24 hours, the president’s office said Wednesday.
___
Associated Press writer Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed to this report.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
veryGood! (54)
Related
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- Trump spoke to Putin as many as 7 times since leaving office, Bob Woodward reports in new book
- As Milton takes aim at Florida, why is Tampa Bay so vulnerable to hurricanes?
- Scarlett Johansson Shares Skincare Secrets, Beauty Regrets & What She's Buying for Prime Day 2024
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- Where is 'College GameDay' for Week 7? Location, what to know for ESPN show
- Drake Bell Details His Emotional Rollercoaster 6 Months After Debut of Quiet on Set
- Why Lisa Marie Presley Kept Son Benjamin Keough's Body on Dry Ice for 2 Months After His Death
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- Why Billie Eilish Will Never Discuss Her Sexuality Again
Ranking
- Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
- Mega Millions tickets will cost $5 starting in April as lottery makes 'mega changes'
- Lore Segal, esteemed Austrian American writer who fled the Nazis as a child, dies at 96
- The money behind the politics: Tracking campaign finance data for Pennsylvania candidates
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- Aaron Rodgers-Robert Saleh timeline: Looking back at working relationship on Jets
- While Alabama fans grieve on Paul Finebaum Show, Kalen DeBoer enjoys path to recovery
- Taylor Swift in Arrowhead: Singer arrives at third home game to root for Travis Kelce
Recommendation
Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
Daniel Craig opens up about his 'beautiful,' explicit gay romance 'Queer'
Federal judge orders Google to open its Android app store to competition
Wildfire fight continues in western North Dakota
Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
Bill introduced to award 1980 ‘Miracle On Ice’ US hockey team with Congressional Gold Medals
Padres and Dodgers continue to exchange barbs and accusations ahead of NLDS Game 3
Homeownership used to mean stable housing costs. That's a thing of the past.