HUMILIATED Vladimir Putin has lost another of his prized warships in a drone attack.
Footage shows the vessel engulfed in flames off the southern coast of annexed Crimea.
East2WestFootage shows a ship on fire off the coast of Crimea[/caption]
Smoke rising from the scene this morningEast2West
East2WestCaesar Kunikov large landing ship, part of the Russian Black Sea Fleet[/caption]
Ukraine‘s intelligence office claimed the 369ft Caesar Kunikov large landing ship sunk early this morning after being shot at.
The huge vessel used by Putin’s armed forces to transport missiles and drones for attacks on Ukraine.
Russia attempted to stage a major sea rescue operation involving boats and a submarine.
Two Russian Mi-8 helicopters were seen flying to and from the scene in desperation.
One video shows a subsequent huge explosion, which may have been the detonation of the stricken warship’s ammunition.
Crimean Wind Telegram channel – a Ukrainian source – reported: “The Main Intelligence Directorate decided to congratulate the occupiers on Valentine’s Day in their own way.”
Russia has not yet officially commented on the sinking, a major blow to Putin’s Black Sea Fleet, and the fate of the usually 87-strong crew is unclear.
The Caesar Kunikov sustained damage earlier in the war, and its then captain Alexander Chirva died from wounds in 2022.
An American Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Global Hawk reconnaissance drone was flying south of the incident doing repeated loops over the Black Sea, according to flight tracking portal Flightradar.
It was between 62 and 75 miles south of the incident, before apparently returning to its base in Malta.
Ukrainian sources said there were no sounds of missiles or drones.
The war-torn country has previously used kamikaze marine drones to attack Russian warships.
Two weeks ago, Ukraine destroyed the £55 million Black Sea missile ship Ivanovets.
The 184ft warship was hit by multiple drones off annexed Crimea.
The operation was spearheaded by Group 13 special forces of the Ukrainian GUR military intelligence agency.
The list of sunk ships includes the Moskva cruiser, Putin’s Black Sea Fleet flagship, which was struck by Neptune missiles in April 2022.
Putin has still not given an accurate toll for the losses on the sunken Moskva.
Several large landing ships have been sunk, including most recently the Novocherkassk, which was struck on December 26, 2023.
At least 33 sailors were feared dead.
East2WestRussia attempted a rescue mission as flames engulfed the vessel[/caption]
East2WestThe ship’s captain Alexander Chirva was killed in 2022[/caption]
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