Most crewmembers of Russia's Caesar Kunikov warship died – Ukraine intel

Most crewmembers of Russia's Caesar Kunikov large landing ship, which Ukrainian forces destroyed off the coast of Crimea in the Black Sea on February 14, have died.

Ukraine's military intelligence spokesperson Andriy Yusov told this to Ukrinform.

"According to available information, there was ammunition there, and most of the crew did not manage to escape," he said.

According to Yusov, the operation to destroy the Russian warship was similar to an attack on the Ivanovets missile corvette, but has its own characteristics.

Preparations for the destruction of the ship "Cesar Kunikov" were long, with intelligence officers tracking the routes of the ship and collecting other data.

"The frequency with which relevant operations are carried out shows that the Ukrainians are learning, improving their tactics and strategy, and, of course, such measures will be continued. Today's destruction of the large landing ship is a big blow to the capabilities of the aggressor's fleet. They will not be able to conduct amphibious operations against Ukraine for a long time," Yusov said.

He also added that the Russian Defense Ministry should not remain silent, but inform the Russian society what happened.

"In these difficult times, Ukrainian men and women have the right to have a holiday, that's why the HUR [Main Intelligence Directorate] and all members of the Ukrainian security and defense forces congratulated our citizens on St. Valentine's Day," Yusov added.

On February 14, the Caesar Kunikov large landing ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet was destroyed by Ukrainian-made Magura V5 naval drones.

The successful operation was carried out by the Group 13 special operations unit of the Ukrainian military intelligence agency.