Ukrainian military claims to have sunk another Russian warship with surface attack drones

Ukraine has destroyed a Russian landing ship belonging to Moscow's Black Sea Fleet, Kyiv's armed forces have claimed.

In a post on Telegram, Ukraine's Ministry of Defence said it had destroyed the Caesar Kunikov, an amphibious assault vessel, using uncrewed surface drones.

Alongside the post, the Ukrainian MOD released footage of the drone strikes.

• Zircon: Putin uses Russia's new hypersonic cruise missile for first time against Kyiv
• Nato could face Soviet-style mass army within next decade, intelligence warns
• Russia will win Ukraine war unless Nato approach changes, retired general warns

This showed the ship as the drones approached, silhouetted against the backdrop of cliffs before it finally showed the amphibious Russian ship minutes before it sank – with the ship completely on its side.

"The special forces of 'Group 13' of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine carried out a successful mission," the post said.

The Ukrainian MOD added that the Russian ship had been hit using Magura V5 sea attack dones close to the "temporarily occupied Crimea".

"As a result, Caesar Kunikov received critical holes on the left side and began to sink," the Telegram post read.

"It is symbolic that the Russian officer, after whom the ship was named, was killed exactly 81 years ago.

"The large amphibious ship Caesar Kunikov of project 775 is one of the newest Russian ships. Could accommodate 87 crew members on board," the post added.

The Ukrainian MOD also said the Russian ship had been used by Russian military campaigns in Georgia and Syria.

"The search and rescue operation of the occupiers was not successful," the post concluded.

Russian military bloggers did not deny the Russian ship had been hit, but said the crew had survived.

If the sinking of the ship is confirmed, it will be the second successful strike by Ukrainian forces in the Black Sea this month.