War in Ukraine: a Russian ship is destroyed in Crimea, the situation on the Eastern Front is becoming increasingly tense

The Ukrainian army’s announcement this Wednesday of destroying the Russian warship Caesar Kunikov off southern Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula in the Black Sea annexed by Russia in 2014, is certainly an act of notable war if independently verified.

Information that Moscow has not confirmed. The Kremlin, however, admitted that six drones were shot down in the region. According to the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR), the vessel was allegedly sunk by Ukrainian naval Magura V5 drones with the aim of hitting the boat near the coastal city of Alupka and creating “critical holes” in its port side, after which the boat “began to sink.” According to GUR, it is one of the “newest” Russian vessels, capable of accommodating 87 crew members and used by Russia in the wars against Georgia in 2008 and in Syria more recently.

But in fact, the situation remains very difficult for Ukraine. The new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armies, Alexander Syrsky, said this Wednesday that he visited the hottest areas of the Eastern Front together with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. And his observations are not encouraging, as he assesses the situation on the ground as “extremely complex and tense.”

“The Russian occupiers continue to increase their efforts and outnumber” Ukrainian forces, he said on Telegram. At the same time, Ukraine is struggling to replenish its army after a counteroffensive that failed. Added to this is the fact that American military assistance, which the country needs to counter the Russians, remains blocked. “We are doing everything possible to prevent the enemy from advancing into our territory and to hold our positions,” he added, assuring: “We are taking all possible measures to minimize our losses and save the lives of our soldiers.”

New Russian explosions

At the same time, Russia continues its activities of destruction and disruption. According to local authorities, three people were killed and twelve were injured in the night between Tuesday and Wednesday during Russian bombings in Selidovo, near Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. The strikes hit nine residential buildings as well as a hospital in the city, located about twenty kilometers west of the front line, the municipal council said on Telegram. According to the same source, there was a child among the dead and four among the wounded. According to the governor of the Donetsk region, Vadim Filachkin, the first strike occurred at about 23:30 (local time), the second at about 1 a.m. About 100 patients from the damaged hospital were evacuated to other hospitals in Pokrovsk and Mirnograd, he added on Telegram.

As of Tuesday, Russian troops had shelled eight villages in the Sumy region 331 times. Explosions caused by mortars, artillery, tanks, kamikaze drones and other munitions.

For its part, Ukraine is still trying to reach Russian territory using drones. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, two Ukrainian drones were intercepted on the night of Wednesday to Thursday by Russian air defense over the Belgorod region, where a woman was injured near the border with Ukraine, another over Voronezh and six more over the Black Sea. RIA Novosti agency reports this.