The Ukrainian Navy explains how Russians used the Caesar Kunikov ship

As the landing operation on the Ukrainian coast became unfeasible, Russian occupiers repurposed the sunken warship Caesar Kunikov for logistical support. Captain Dmytro Pletenchuk, 3rd Rank and spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, reported this on Hromadske Radio.

«For a considerable time, amphibious landing capabilities have been significantly diminished in this conflict. The Russians have employed large landing ships for logistical support, considering them as one of their logistics tools», — he mentioned

Currently, there is no verified information on the fate of the crew. Pletenchuk emphasized the difficulty of confirming this information promptly, stating:

«Given that the ship is at sea, the crew is on board, but it is unlikely that there was any landing party. As of now, we know that the search and rescue operation was unsuccessful. In the morning, helicopters were deployed over the shipwreck, but now, with the cold water and the ship’s distance from the shore, hypothermia sets in quickly. Most likely, the fate of the crew is not promising».

On February 14, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed the hit of the Russian warship Caesar Kunikov in the Black Sea. Later, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine reported that Magura V5 maritime drones sank the large Russian amphibious assault ship.

«As a result, the Caesar Kunikov sustained critical damage on its port side and began to sink. It is symbolic that the Russian officer after whom the ship was named was killed exactly 81 years ago. The occupiers’ search and rescue operation proved unsuccessful», — highlighted the intelligence service, releasing a video of the enemy vessel.

The ship had a capacity for 87 crew members and had been previously used by Russia in wars against Georgia, Syria, and Ukraine.