VIDEO: Ukraine claims it destroyed another Russian warship in Black Sea

Ukraine on Wednesday (Feb 14) claimed it had destroyed another Russian warship in the Black Sea as the war intensified between the two countries, approaching its second anniversary, according to a report by news agency AFP.

The operation had been carried out on a Russian landing ship named the 'Tsezar Kunikov', with the Ukrainian military claiming that its forces along with military intelligence units collaborated to 'destroy' the warship.

"It was in Ukrainian territorial waters near Alupka at the time of the hit," Ukraine’s military said on the Telegram messaging app.

The Ukrainian side employed "MAGURA" drones to inflict the attack, rendering the vessel damaged beyond repair, according to a CNN report.

Notably,“MAGURA” drones are only a few metres long and powered by jet skis but they have a range of around 800 kilometres, thereby allowing the Ukrainian military to launch them beyond its coastlines to target Russian assets.

Previous attack

The Ukrainian claims about destroying the Russian warship come after Moscow in late December last year acknowledged that one of its warships had suffered damage during an airstrike by Kyiv at the Black Sea port.

The attack occurred in Feodosiya, located in Russian-occupied Crimea, in the early hours of December 26. The Ministry of Defence in Russia confirmed that Ukrainian aircraft equipped with guided missiles targeted the Novocherkassk, a landing warship.

"Sadly, one person was killed and two others were wounded in an enemy attack on Feodosia," Russia-installed governor of Crimea, Sergei Aksionov, said on Telegram.

Disclaimer: WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of photos and videos shared on social media.

Change in strategy from Kyiv?

The fresh attack on a Russian warship comes days after President Volodymyr Zelensky fired Ukraine's top commander,General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, in the biggest military shakeup since the start of the war.

"To win the war, wemust all push in the same direction, we cannot be discouraged, we must have the right and positive energy, negativity must be left at home. We can't take on giving-up attitudes,"said Zelensky at the time.

The move was necessitated asUkraine has struggled to retake territory from Russia, despite launching a much-publicised counter-offensive in June last year, after stocking on Westernweapons.

The failure to make inroads has added to Zelensky's frustration who believes that a rejig is the best way to re-energise the forces. Moscow is yet to comment on Wednesday's attack but experts believe a swift retaliation mightbe in the works.

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

(With inputs from agencies)