4 US-made attack boats carrying Ukrainians destroyed by Russian Navy
A second attempt in less than a week to attack Crimea via an amphibious Ukrainian force has been foiled by the Russian Navy.
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A screen grab captured from a video shows that more than 20 Russian navy ships started a military drill in the Black Sea, in Russia on January 26, 2022. (Russian Defense Ministry/Handout)
The Russian Defense Ministry has reported the destruction of four US-made fast assault boats, identified as Willard Sea Force vessels, carrying Ukrainian landing troops in the Black Sea.
The incident in which amphibious Ukrainian forces were headed towards Cape Tarkhankut on the Crimean coast occurred overnight on Monday.
"On September 4, 2023, aircraft of the naval aviation of Russia's Black Sea fleet destroyed four US-made fast military boats with amphibious groups of the Ukrainian armed forces in the northwestern part of the Black Sea as they were moving toward Cape Tarkhankut on the Crimean coast."
The ministry's statement did not provide further details regarding the circumstances leading to the destruction of the boats or the fate of the Ukrainian troops on board.
This incident follows a similar event that occurred last week, where the Russian Black Sea fleet reported the destruction of four boats transporting a total of 50 Ukrainian landing groups, comprising 50 individuals.
On Saturday, Kiev attempted another attack on the Russian peninsula, when it sent out three drone boats to attack the Crimean Bridge. The Russian defenses neutralized all three Ukrainian semi-submersibles in the Black Sea.
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In a similar context, the Russian MoD said on Saturday that Ukraine's losses over the past 24 hours amounted to 600 servicemen, with heavy losses recorded among military equipment, from tanks to artillery, during an operation on the frontline.
"Up to 115 Ukrainian servicemen, two armored combat vehicles, four vehicles, two M-777 artillery systems, and a US-made M-119 gun, as well as two howitzers: Msta-B and D-20, were destroyed in a day," Moscow's defense ministry said.
The Defense Ministry previously announced that its Black Sea Fleet had established permanent control in the body of water which has allowed to foil several Ukrainian attacks on Crimea.
It is worth noting that Ukraine's increased attacks on civilian infrastructure, such as the Crimean Bridge, come as its long-awaited counteroffensive flounders on the frontline in areas of conflict, failing to achieve any notable advances past Russian defenses.
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