A video released by GUR shows the ship before and after the attack, featuring a bright explosion and subsequent fire that led to the vessel sinking.
Russian officials have remained silent on the incident. The fate of the Caesar Kunikov’s crew, potentially numbering up to 87, remains uncertain. Russian search and rescue efforts have thus far been unsuccessful, according to GUR.
“I suggest you refer to the statements of our military colleagues,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Wednesday when asked to comment on the fate of the ship. The Russian Ministry of Defense’s only comment claimed to have downed six Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea overnight.
However, the Telegram channel Rybar, close to the Russian Ministry of Defense, did report on the attack. Another pro-military Telegram channel — Two Majors (Dva mayora) — wrote that the crew survived. “Ships, still lacking means of adequate threat counteraction, are shot like partridges,” noted the pro-military Telegram channel Military Informer.
The Caesar Kunikov was named after a World War II Soviet hero. The date of the Ukrainian drone strike on the ship coincides with the anniversary of Kunikov’s death on Feb. 14, 1943.
Ukraine managed to sink another Russian boat — Ivanovets — two weeks ago. If the sinking is confirmed, the Caesar Kunikov would be the 14th Russian vessel hit and the fifth large landing ship in the Black Sea to be damaged by the Ukrainian military since the full-scale invasion launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
