Ukraine has destroyed a Russian warship in the Black Sea, a Ukrainian defense official said

CNN
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Ukraine Military intelligence said it sank a Russian warship off the coast of Crimea on Wednesday, the latest in a series of attacks. Naval drone attacks On the Russian fleet in the Black Sea.

The Russian landing ship Tsar Kunikov was attacked MAGURA V5 drones The Ukrainian agency said on the Telegram app that the ship created “dangerous holes” in its left side before sinking.

The statement said that the attack was carried out by the agency’s Special Forces Unit “Group 13” in cooperation with the Ukrainian security and defense forces.

Night time Screenshots Images provided by Ukraine showed a naval drone heading towards the ship Cesar Kunikov, before a huge column of smoke rose from the ship.

CNN has been unable to independently verify Ukraine's claims. There was no official comment from Russia regarding Ukraine's allegations.

Wednesday's attack is the latest in a series of Ukrainian strikes on the Russian Navy, as it attempts to launch strategic and symbolic strikes against Russian forces that annexed Crimea in 2014.

As Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches its second anniversary, the front lines have for months remained mostly static. But since last year Ukraine has Centered To the Black Sea, saying its strikes on Crimea and Russian ships aim to isolate the peninsula and make it difficult for Russia to continue its military operations on the Ukrainian mainland.

Earlier this month, Ukraine said it had sunk the ship IvanovetsIt is a Russian guided missile ship in the Black Sea as well. It was her most prominent attack on Moscow In April 2022, forcing Russia to change its modus operandi near Ukrainian-controlled areas.

The MAGURA drones are only a few meters long and operate on jet skis, a pilot from a special unit of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Agency told CNN earlier this year.

But it has a large range of about 800 kilometers (about 500 miles), so military units can launch drones from across wide swaths of the Ukrainian coast to carry out missions against targets in Crimea.

This is a developing story and will be updated.