Crimea and Kherson videos show the destruction of Russian landing craft

Ukraine has released videos showing its military destroying Russian landing craft in annexed Crimea and the southern Kherson region.

Ukrainian forces destroyed a high-speed boat in Crimea's Uzka Bay in a night attack using a Magura V5 attack naval drone, Kiev's military intelligence said on Monday. It released a video of the attackThe operation was carried out by Ukrainian special forces from Group 13.

Ukraine has used Magura V5 naval drones in several attacks on Russian ships in recent months, including against the Russian Black Sea Fleet's Ropucha-class landing ship Caesar Kunikov in February.

It is part of Ukraine's ongoing efforts to retake the Black Sea peninsula, which was annexed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014. The Russian Black Sea Fleet has suffered numerous losses during the all-out war in Ukraine that has been raging since 2022.

“While fear of Ukrainian attacks forces the occupiers to hide the large ships of the Black Sea Fleet outside the peninsula, hostilities against the Russians' high-speed maneuverable warships illegally located in Ukrainian territorial waters of Crimea continue. ” said the Defense Intelligence Agency of Ukraine.

“We would like to remind you that with the help of the Magura V5 naval drones attack Russian ships Caesar Kunikov, Ivanovets, Sergey Kotov, Hai And Serna have already been destroyed, and the Ivan Khurs was also damaged,” the statement continued.

On Sunday, the 123rd Separate Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine released a video purportedly showing the moment a Russian speedboat is located blown up by a mine in the occupied Kherson region, with the impact throwing some people overboard.

The video appears to have been filmed on the Dnieper River. After the successful liberation of the city of Kherson and the western bank of the river towards the end of 2022, Ukraine has launched regular raids across the river. Kiev's troops reached the occupied side of the Dnieper in mid-October 2023 after extensive river crossings.

Newsweek could not independently verify Ukraine's claims about the destruction of the speedboats and emailed the Russian Defense Ministry for comment. The Kremlin has not commented on the reports.

The Kiev military said in an update on Monday that Moscow forces have so far lost 26 warships and boats since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022. The figures were provided by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which publishes estimates of Russia's troop and equipment losses per day.

Estimates of the death toll vary, with Ukraine's numbers typically exceeding those of its Western allies. Newsweek could not independently verify Ukraine's figures.

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