Kyiv confirms destruction of Russian amphibious ship Caesar Kunikov in Black Sea

The Ukrainian armed forces, in coordination with units from the main intelligence division of the Ministry of Defense, have reported the destruction of the Russian amphibious assault ship Caesar Kunikov on Wednesday, according to a statement released by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Prior to this announcement, Ukrainian media outlets had already reported the sinking of the vessel belonging to the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

According to information provided by the General Staff, the attack on the Caesar Kunikov occurred while the ship was in the territorial waters of Ukraine, near Alupka. Alupka is situated in Crimea, which has been annexed by Russia since 2014.

This morning, Ukrainian media, citing sources within the Main Intelligence Division of the Ministry of Defense, revealed that the sinking of the ship was the result of a drone strike.

As of now, Russia has not issued any statements regarding the reported sinking of the ship. Earlier today, the Ministry of Defense of Russia confirmed the destruction of six Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea.

The vessel, named after the Hero of the Soviet Union, paratrooper Caesar Kunikov, served as a large landing ship within the Russian Black Sea Fleet. In 2015, it was deployed by Russia in support of operations backing the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria.

On March 24, 2022, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had previously reported that a Russian landing ship, the Saratov, was destroyed, and two others, the Caesar Kunikov and Novocherkassk, were damaged as a result of an attack in the Sea of Azov, near the port city of Berdyansk.