On Thursday, Ukraine announced that it had successfully eliminated a Russian warship in the Black Sea near the Crimean peninsula, an area witnessing escalating attacks by Ukrainian forces.
Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014 and housing Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, has become a focal point for Ukrainian drone and missile strikes, forcing Russia into a defensive position.
The Ukrainian military intelligence agency reported the destruction of an “enemy missile corvette” overnight, identified as the Ivanovets, estimated to be valued at up to $70 million. Russia has not issued an immediate response.
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A night-vision video released by Ukraine purportedly depicts a small vessel approaching the Russian ship, followed by a significant explosion, causing the warship to tilt and sink. The authenticity of the footage and Ukraine’s account could not be independently verified by AFP.
The incident allegedly occurred near Lake Donuzlav, a body of water flowing into the Black Sea on Crimea’s western coast, according to Kyiv. Ukraine further asserted that a Russian search and rescue operation following the attack was unsuccessful.
While Moscow remained silent on the matter, a Russian Telegram account affiliated with the military claimed that Ukraine deployed nine naval drones in a nighttime assault in the area. Russian sailors reportedly discovered four of them patrolling Lake Donuzlav and engaged in gunfire, resulting in damage to one boat.
A day earlier, Russia declared the destruction of 20 Ukrainian missiles over the Black Sea and Crimea. The annexation of Crimea by Moscow in 2014 and the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, including actions in the Black Sea peninsula, have heightened tensions between the two nations.
