Drones of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) have struck the Russian landing ship Caesar Kunikov in the Black Sea on the morning of 14 February.
Source: Ukrainska Pravda sources in DIU
Details: Ukrainska Pravda sources reported that it was a DIU operation, resulting in the sinking of the Caesar Kunikov.
Ukrainska Pravda has asked for official comments on this matter.
For reference: According to the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s website, the Caesar Kunikov is a Project 775 large landing ship. The vessel is 112.5 metres long, 15 metres wide and has a draft of 3.7 metres. The warship has the following weapons: 2×2 57-mm AK-725 artillery pieces, 4×8 launchers of man-portable air defence systems, and 2×30 122-mm A-215 Grad-M multiple rocket launchers.
There are 87 crew members.
The ship can reportedly be used to set up minefields. The landing ship can be used with various loading options: 150 troops and 10 T-55 tanks with a crew of 40; 12 PT-76 amphibious swimming tanks with a crew of 36; a unit consisting of 3 T-55 tanks with a crew of 12, 3 120-mm mortars, 3 2G 27 combat vehicles, 4 ZIL-130 vehicles, 4 GAZ-66 vehicles and one GAZ-69 off-road vehicle.
The landing party consists of 147 troops. The ship is capable of carrying 650 tonnes of cargo over a distance of 4,700 miles.
According to Wikipedia, Tsaezar (Caesar) Lvovich Kunikov, a Soviet officer and commander of a landing unit, after whom the warship in question was named, died on 14 February 1943 and was buried in Gelendzhik, where Russian President Vladimir Putin has a bunker.
Previously: At the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Caesar Kunikov was docked in the Russian-occupied port city of Berdiansk and sustained damage when Ukrainian forces sank the Saratov landing ship in March 2022.
Background:
- Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed that its air defence forces had supposedly shot down six drones in the Black Sea on the night of 13-14 February.
- At the same time, Telegram channels reported that something was burning in the sea near Alupka-Katsiveli. Two Mi-8 helicopters were also reportedly circling low over the water in the area.
- The Krymsky Veter (Crimean Wind) Telegram channel reported that drones had supposedly struck a landing ship.
- Later, a Ka-27 search and rescue helicopter was also spotted in the area of the settlement of Foros (Russian-occupied Crimea).
IRYNA BALACHUK, VALENTYNA ROMANENKO
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