Ukrainian forces sink Russian landing ship Caesar Kunikov in the Black Sea
The Ukrainian Armed Forces, in cooperation with the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, destroyed the Russian large landing ship Caesar Kunikov in the Black Sea, the General Staff of the Armed Forces announced on the morning of February 14th. "At the time of the strike, the ship was within Ukraine's territorial waters near Alupka," the statement reads.
The first confirmation of the Caesar Kunikov sinking came from the Ukrainian news outlet Ukrainska Pravda, citing a source in the Intelligence Directorate, who claimed the ship was hit by drones.
Photographs supposedly showing the explosion and subsequent rescue operation have been published by the Telegram channel "Crimean Wind."
Furthermore, there are claims that helicopters have been spotted overhead, at the presumed location of the sunken vessel, which may suggest a search and rescue operation is underway. Another Telegram channel called "Two Majors" reported that the "Caesar Kunikov" was targeted near the village of Katsiveli on Crimea's southern coast. According to the channel, all crew members are alive. A ship of this class has a crew of 87 people.
The Russian side has not officially commented on reports of the ship's sinking. Ukrainian media have noted that Soviet officer Caesar Kunikov, for whom the ship was named, also died on February 14, 1943. The landing ship Caesar Kunikov had previously been damaged on March 24, 2022, during a Ukrainian missile attack on the port of Berdyansk.