On independence day, Ukraine claims it carried out ‘special operation’ in Russian-occupied Crimea

Ukrainian military on Thursday (Aug 24) claimed that it launched a "special operation" in Russian-occupied Crimea overnight. The defence ministry's Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) said they carried out the operation in cooperation with the navy in which their personnel entered the peninsula territory to achieve a specific “goal”.

The announcement comes on the day when Ukraine was celebrating its independence day.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Goal achieved

"The landing of personnel took place on the territory of the peninsula as part of the special operation,” Andrii Yusov, representative of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, told Ukrainian news outlets Hromadske and Suspilne in an interview.

“The Main Directorate of Intelligence in cooperation with the Navy conducted a special operation, the goal was achieved, and there were no losses among the personnel. The special operation continues, we do not disclose all the details, there are losses among the enemy personnel, as well as among the forces and means. The information on the number of losses is being clarified," he added.

The HUR also shared a video of theoperation to substantiate its claim. The clip shows a small motorboat moving through water at night near a coastline, reports Reuters news agency.

HUR said the landing point was on the western tip of Crimea, near the settlements of Olenivka and Mayak.

Russia-Ukraine War: Ukraine using custom made rocket launchers against Russia

"Special units on watercraft landed on the shore in the area of the Olenivka and Mayak settlements," HUR said in a statement.

It further claimed that “the state flag flew again in Ukrainian Crimea”, without saying where exactly or providing further details.

Russia is yet to respond to Ukraine’s claims of“special operation” in Crimea.

Zelensky vows to free Crimea

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to free Crimea from the Russian occupation and all other areas that were captured by Moscow during the ongoing war.

"Crimea will be de-occupied like all other parts of Ukraine that are unfortunately still under the occupier," he told an international conference about Crimea which he said was being attended by more than 60 countries.

Crimea was seized and annexed by Russia in 2014 in a move not recognised by most other countries, and Russia seized other parts of Ukraine in the full-scale invasion it launched in February 2022.

Ukraine began a counteroffensive in early June to try to regain the territory occupied by Russia.

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on Ukraine-Russia war on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE