Ukrainian special forces using bomb-laden unmanned surface vessels have sunk another Ropucha-class landing ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, according to the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence.
The GUR announced on its website on 14 February 2024 that earlier that day special forces of the GUR’s Group 13 had destroyed the landing ship Caesar Kunikov.
“The enemy ship was attacked by Magura V5 sea attack drones near the shores of the temporarily occupied Crimea near the city of Alupka, the GUR stated. “As a result, Caesar Kunikov received critical holes on the left side and began to sink.
Accompanying the news was a three-minute video comprised of footage taken from infra-red cameras on the USVs as they zigzagged their way toward Caesar Kunikov, including footage of sizeable blasts. Unlike previous footage of Ukrainian USV attacks there did not seem to be much defensive fire coming from the Russian ship as the USVs approached.
The GUR soundtracked the video with the classical/dance/electronic track Revenge of the Orchestra by Apashe featuring Magugu, which includes the constant refrain ‘Revenge is a must’.
The GUR also noted on its website that “It is symbolic that the Russian officer after whom the ship was named was killed exactly 81 years ago.”
Caesar Lvovich Kunikov, who was posthumously made a Hero of the Soviet Union, was killed on 14 February 1943 as he led the recapture of a beachhead from German forces in the Second World War. The location of his death, near Novorossiysk, is just 300 km east of where Caesar Kunikov was sunk.
Displacing 4,400 tonnes at full load with a crew of 96, Caesar Kunikov has thus been added to the list of major Black Sea Fleet casualties inflicted by the Ukrainians, who most recently sank the Russian Tarantul-class corvette Ivanovets on the night of 31 January/1 February using bomb-laden USVs.
The first significant ship sunk by Ukraine was the Tapir-class landing ship Saratov, which was sunk or scuttled on 24 March 2022 in the port of Berdiansk after sustaining missile damage. Ukrainian forces then famously sank the Russian Slava-class cruiser Moskva using Nepture anti-ship missiles on 13 April 2022.
Air-launched Storm Shadow missiles then destroyed the Ropucha-class landing ship Minsk on 13 September 2023 and struck another Ropucha-class vessel, Novocherkassk, on 26 December 2023, probably destroying the ship.
Other major naval vessels, including a ‘Kilo’-class submarine, have been significantly damaged, possibly beyond repair, and numerous smaller vessels sunk.
The GUR noted on its website regarding the sinking of Caesar Kunikov, “Implementation of the special operation became possible with the support of the United24 platform”, which is a fund-raising platform set up by the Ukrainian government.
