(RepublicanJournal.org) – Ukraine recently reported that it sank yet another Russian warship in the Black Sea, claiming a victory in the war to defend what remains of its territory. Kremlin officials haven’t confirmed the announcement, but multiple Russian bloggers have backed reports that the ship was indeed hit.
Details on the attack are still scarce, and the video evidence Ukraine provided is grainy and appears heavily edited. The footage seems to come from another vehicle on the sea, and the bobbing camera struggles to keep the ship centered and in clear focus. The video cuts to what appears to be an explosion, but the images that come afterward paint an unclear picture of the warship’s fate.
BBC News reports that Ukraine’s main intelligence directorate claimed the Caesar Kunikov sank in Ukrainian territorial waters after suffering severe damage to its port side. It adds that the ship went down off the coast of Alupka, a Crimean town, and added that the majority of its crew members died in the attack. Military bloggers rejected the reports of casualties, stating that the people aboard had survived. They also refrained from confirming that the ship sank as a result of the attack. BBC News explains that Russian officials typically keep negative news about the war to themselves, so residents rely on popular bloggers to get their updates.
Ukrainian officials allege, that this was the second Russian vessel they managed to sink in as many weeks. If the most recent report is accurate, the attack on the Caesar Kunikov would mark the 25th warship Ukraine has been able to neutralize since the war began. Including the 74 combat vessels Kyiv has also taken out, Ukraine has reportedly disabled about 33% of Russia’s Black Sea naval fleet.
Ironically, the Soviet World War II hero that the Caesar Kunikov was named after died on February 14, 1943 — exactly 81 years before the ship reportedly sank.
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