(LONDON) — Ukraine said it “destroyed” another one of Russia’s warships in the Black Sea on Wednesday — a claim not yet confirmed by Moscow.
Ukrainian naval drones struck the Caesar Kunikov landing ship, part of the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet, near the city of Alupka on the southern edge of the Crimean Peninsula that Russia seized and annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The drone strike resulted in “critical holes on the left side” of the ship, causing it to “sink,” according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s Main Directorate of Intelligence, which released dark, grainy video of the alleged attack.
Ukraine said the Caesar Kunikov can carry 87 crew members and that Russia’s search and rescue operation “was not successful.”
ABC News could not independently verify Ukraine’s claim. The Russian government spokesperson declined to comment on the alleged attack during Wednesday’s press briefing, telling reporters that their questions should be addressed to the Russian military.
It’s the second time in two weeks that Ukraine has alleged to have sunk a Russian warship in the Black Sea. Last week, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s Main Directorate of Intelligence released a video purportedly showing Ukrainian naval drones striking a Russian guided-missile ship named Ivanovets on the night of Jan. 31.
The Ukrainian military has disabled 33% of the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet — 24 ships and one submarine out of a total of 74 combat vessels — since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, according to the Strategic Communications Department of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. If Ukraine’s claims are true, the Caesar Kunikov would be the 25th disabled Russian warship.
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