Ukraine claims it sunk Russian missile ship in Black Sea near Crimea

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine on Thursday claimed that its forces sunk a Russian missile ship belonging to Moscow’s Black Sea fleet.

A statement by Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) said that the Tarantul-class corvette called Ivanovets was sunk by special HUR units overnight.

“The operation was made possible with the support of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and the United24 platform,” the statement added.

It said the corvette was patrolling the Black Sea near Lake Donuzlav near the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, when a series of direct hits to the ship’s hull caused damage, resulting in it sinking.

“The value of the ship lost by the aggressor state is approximately $60-70 million,” the statement also said, adding that Russian search and rescue operations in the lake were “not successful.”

Russian officials have not yet commented on the claims, and independent verification of Ukraine’s claims is difficult due to the ongoing war.