The Russian landing ship Caesar Kunikov sank in the Black Sea

The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported the sinking of a large Russian landing ship. The "Caesar Kunikov" vessel sank in the Black Sea. The ship had previously been damaged in 2022.

On Wednesday morning, February 14, the “Crimean Wind” channel on Telegram reported explosions in the Black Sea. Later, photos emerged showing plumes of smoke in the sea.

It appears that the ship's ammunition is exploding. We see that another ship has approached to rescue the “sinking” vessel. There is also a submarine nearby, as mentioned in the post.

Local residents later wrote about airplanes allegedly flying over the sea for a long time. Witnesses heard powerful explosions in the areas of Yalta, Miskhor, Alupka, and Simeiz in Crimea, and the ship itself was near Miskhor.

Ukrainian Intelligence reports sinking of Russian landing ship in Black Sea

The Russian ship has sunk Sources from the "Ukrainska Pravda" newspaper reported that the Russian large landing ship Caesar Kunikov was destroyed by drones of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine. Allegedly, the ship sank. The same information was conveyed by sources of the "Suspilne" online edition.

Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on the alleged attack by Ukrainian drones. According to them, "drones were intercepted and destroyed over the territory of the Belgorod (2 UAVs) and Voronezh (1 UAV) regions, as well as over the Black Sea (6 UAVs)".

What is known about the Caesar Kunikov ship?

Recall that Caesar Kunikov was previously damaged. In March 2022, three ships were hit, and one, the large amphibious assault ship Saratov, was destroyed. Among the hit vessels were two Project 995 aircraft carriers: Caesar Kunikov and Novocherkassk. The former was sent for repairs and on May 14, 2023, left the factory and returned to service at sea.

According to the Russian Navy, the ship was built in Gdansk (Poland) in 1984 and launched in 1986. Initially named BDK-64, since 1991 it has been named Caesar Kunikov, in honor of the Soviet officer.

It is a multi-deck, flat-bottomed oceanic landing ship with a semi-tank and an extended aft superstructure. It is designed as a roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) ship, with a tank deck running the entire length of the vessel.

Its main purpose is to receive tracked, wheeled, and any military transport equipment as well as infantry units from equipped or unequipped coasts, transport them by sea, and disembark them on low-sloping coastal areas through an open bow, as well as receiving floating equipment from the water, transporting it by sea, and launching it through an open bow or stern.

The ship can be used for minefield laying, delivering humanitarian aid, and evacuating people from dangerous areas. In addition, the amphibian can be used for military transportation, supplying ships and fleet units in dispersed locations.