Ukrainian strike sinks Russian vessel in black sea operation

The Ukrainian military intelligence agency HUR conducted a successful operation that destroyed another ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet stationed in the Black Sea. A representative of HUR, Andrij Jusov, relayed this information on Thursday. However, he did not provide any details regarding the course of the operation.

According to independent channels on social media, it is most likely a tugboat; bloggers are reporting nighttime explosions near the village of Chornomorske on the western coast of Russian-occupied Crimea.

During his appearance on Ukrainian television, Andrij Jusov said: "Last night, another enemy ship was destroyed in the Black Sea. Details will follow later. A special HUR unit operated, there was a naval attack, resulting in one less enemy ship."

The Telegram channel "Krymskij Veter," which usually provides reliable information, stated that the destroyed vessel is "probably a harbour tug." "Earlier, we reported explosions in the Chornomorske area," the post author wrote on the channel.

On 30 May, HUR announced that it had destroyed two Russian KS-701-class Tunets boats that were off the coast of Crimea. Ukrainian-made Magura maritime drones were used to destroy the vessels. The Russian Border Guard uses these boats as patrol units under the Federal Security Service.

The most significant loss to the Russian navy during the ongoing war with Ukraine occurred in April 2022. At that time, the missile cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, was sunk. According to official information released by the Kremlin, only one crew member died on the cruiser, and 27 were reported missing. However, the actual death toll was likely much higher. Independent observers estimate that over 400 Russian servicemen may have died.