The Main Directorate of Intelligence (also known as GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine published intercepted conversations of Russians at the site of the destruction of the large amphibious assault ship "Caesar Kunikov". The quality of the recording is very bad, but the word "debris" is clearly heard there. Intelligence reports that only an "oily stain" remained from the enemy ship after the attack, that is, the assault ship sank.
"The Ka-52 and Mi-8 helicopters of the aggressor state carry out a visual inspection of the place where the ship sank. The military transport aircraft An-26 of the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation acts as a relay of information," GUR added.
According to preliminary data, "Caesar Kunikov" was loaded, possibly with weapons and equipment.
- "Caesar Kunikov" is a large amphibious ship of project 775 of the Black Sea Fleet of Russia with the ship number 158. Such ships are designed for the landing of naval amphibious assaults, the transfer of troops and cargo. They can transport armored vehicles, including tanks.
- The ship was attacked by drones in the morning of February 14. The Armed Forces Navy and the General Staff of the Armed Forces reported that the ship had sunk. Russian aircraft fly over the sea. A search and rescue operation is underway.
- Subsequently, GUR showed a video of the attack on the assault ship. It was destroyed by Magura V5 surface drones operated by the special unit Group 13. Intelligence added that the landing craft received critical holes on the left side and began to sink. It happened near the city of Alupka. The ship could accommodate 87 crew members and participated in wars against Georgia, Syria and Ukraine. GUR added that the Russian officer, after whom the ship was named, was killed exactly 81 years ago.
- According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as of February 14, 2024, during the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian troops destroyed 25 boats and ships, including the “Caesar Kunikov”, as well as the Rostov-on-Don submarine. The most significant destroyed target remains the missile cruiser "Moskva", which was the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation. It was sunk on April 14, 2022.