Ukraine Claims to Have Sunk Russian Ship 'Tzar Konikov' in the Black Sea

Ukraine claims to have destroyed a Russian warship off the coast of the Crimea peninsula, which is occupied by Russia, in an operation using marine drones. Russia did not immediately respond to this claim but had previously stated that it had shot down six drones in the Black Sea. The Ukrainian army announced on its Telegram channel that the large ship 'Tzar Konikov' was destroyed while it was in Ukrainian waters near Alupka. The resort city of Alupka is located not far from Yalta in southern Crimea, which was seized by Russian forces in 2014. The peninsula was then annexed by Russia in a referendum that was rejected by Ukraine and many countries around the world. The Ukrainian military intelligence agency stated that the warship was loaded at the time of sinking and had spent about ten days at the loading site used by the Russian army before the attack. A video has also been published on Telegram showing several marine drones approaching a large ship at night, with at least one large explosion occurring. Reuters has confirmed that the ship shown in the video is the Russian 'Tzar Konikov' based on its mast, antenna, and deck, but emphasized that the location and date of the filming cannot be independently verified. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense's military intelligence agency stated that the 'Project 775' warship is one of the newest Russian ships and has a crew of 87, having participated in conflicts in Georgia, Syria, and Ukraine. A Ukrainian news outlet also released several videos showing a column of smoke rising over the waters off the southern coast of Crimea and helicopters flying over the area. Ukraine is using explosive-laden marine drones to attack Russian warships and drive them out of parts of the Black Sea to open a transport corridor along its important grain export route. The new marine drones are vital for Ukraine as it seeks to close the gap in its naval capabilities against Russia, which has a powerful fleet. A spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy stated that Russia has five large ships in the Black Sea. Previously, a senior Ukrainian security official stated in December of last year that Ukraine had destroyed 20% of Russia's Black Sea fleet. The Ukrainian army claims to have destroyed 25 Russian warships and one submarine to date. Last month, Ukrainian cruise missiles struck a large Russian warship in Crimea. Britain has called on European allies to increase defense production to assist Ukraine. Estonia: Russia is preparing for military confrontation with the West. The U.S.: The likelihood of inviting Ukraine to join NATO at the upcoming summit is low. The U.S. Senate passed a $95 billion aid bill for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. The Ukrainian army: We have destroyed 14 Iranian-made 'Shahed' drones.