Russian landing ship Tsezar Kunikov hit in Black Sea, it has sunk – intelligence sources, photo, video

Drones of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) have struck the Russian landing ship Tsezar Kunikov in the Black Sea on the morning of 14 February.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda sources in DIU

Details: Ukrainska Pravda sources reported that it was a DIU operation, resulting in the sinking of the Tsezar Kunikov.

Ukrainska Pravda has asked for official comments on this matter.

For reference: According to the Russian Black Sea Fleet's website, the Tsezar Kunikov is a Project 775 large landing ship. The vessel is 112.5 metres long, 15 metres wide and has a draft of 3.7 metres. The warship has the following weapons: 2x2 57-mm AK-725 artillery pieces, 4x8 launchers of man-portable air defence systems, and 2x30 122-mm A-215 Grad-M multiple rocket launchers.

There are 87 crew members.

The ship can reportedly be used to set up minefields. The landing ship can be used with various loading options: 150 troops and 10 T-55 tanks with a crew of 40; 12 PT-76 amphibious swimming tanks with a crew of 36; a unit consisting of 3 T-55 tanks with a crew of 12, 3 120-mm mortars, 3 2G 27 combat vehicles, 4 ZIL-130 vehicles, 4 GAZ-66 vehicles and one GAZ-69 off-road vehicle.

The landing party consists of 147 troops. The ship is capable of carrying 650 tonnes of cargo over a distance of 4,700 miles.

According to Wikipedia, Tsezar Lvovich Kunikov, a Soviet officer and commander of a landing unit, after whom the warship in question was named, died on 14 February 1943 and was buried in Gelendzhik, where Russian President Vladimir Putin has a bunker.

Previously: At the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Tsezar Kunikov was docked in the Russian-occupied port city of Berdiansk and sustained damage when Ukrainian forces sank the Saratov landing ship in March 2022.

Background: 

• Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed that its air defence forces had supposedly shot down six drones in the Black Sea on the night of 13-14 February.
• At the same time, Telegram channels reported that something was burning in the sea near Alupka-Katsiveli. Two Mi-8 helicopters were also reportedly circling low over the water in the area.
• The Krymsky Veter (Crimean Wind) Telegram channel reported that drones had supposedly struck a landing ship.
• Later, a Ka-27 search and rescue helicopter was also spotted in the area of the settlement of Foros (Russian-occupied Crimea).

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