Ukrainian unmanned boats have been trying to break through Russian coastal defenses near Crimea’s shore for months to no avail, as Russia's Black Sea Fleet is on high alert keeping the country's borders safe from enemy sabotage attempts.
The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) has released footage showing a Kamov Ka-27 military helicopter in service with the Russian Navy annihilating a Ukrainian unmanned boat moving close to Crimea's shore.
The enemy crewless boat was maneuvering in an attempt to escape targeted Russian fire. Precise and effective actions carried out by Russian troops resulted in the complete destruction of the unmanned vessel, with its combat unit detonating moments later.
The MoD said on Monday that Black Sea Fleet forces had destroyed five unmanned Ukrainian drone boats northwest off the coast of the Crimean Peninsula.
Russian Armed Forces Liberate Solovyovo in DPR and Kotlyarovka in Kharkov Region
Russian troops' surprise spring breakthrough in Donbass and slow, steady push through the Kharkov region have sparked fears in Kiev and Washington that Ukraine's NATO-armed and trained forces won't be able to stop the front from crumbling before new arms aid arrives.
Russian forces are continuing to advance through Ukrainian-occupied areas of the Donetsk People's Republic, and have made new gains in the neighboring Kharkov region, Russia's Defense Ministry has announced.
"Units of Battlegroup Tsentr liberated the village of Solovyevo in the Donetsk People's Republic and struck a blow against the manpower and equipment of the 92nd Assault, 31st, 100th, and 115th Mechanized Brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and the 109th Territorial Defense Brigade and 2nd National Guard Brigade in the areas of the settlements of Novgorodskoye, Rozovka, Kalinovo, Umanskoye, and Progress in the Donetsk People's Republic," the MoD said in a statement Monday.
Battlegroup Tsentr's troops were said to have engaged and repelled seven Ukrainian counterattacks in the areas of the settlements of Novokalinovo, Ocheretino, Netailovo and Berdychi in the DPR, in the course of which up to 370 Ukrainian troops, an armored combat vehicle, 20 other vehicles, and a D-30 howitzer were destroyed.
Elsewhere on the front, "as a result of dynamic actions, units of Battlegroup Zapad liberated the village of Kotlyarovka in Kharkov region," the Defense Ministry said.
"Having improved their position along the front line, [Russian forces] struck a blow to the manpower and equipment of the 14th, 44th, and 66th Mechanized Brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and the 119th Territorial Defense Brigade in the areas of the settlements of Kupyansk, Kharkov region, Stelmakhovka in the Lugansk People's Republic, and Novosadovoe in the Donetsk People's Republic," the MoD said.
Russian forces were also said to have repelled three counterattacks by Ukrainian assault groups in Sinkovka and Krakhmalnoye in the Kharkov region, and Stelmakhovka in the Lugansk People's Republic, in the course of which Ukrainian forces lost up to 120 troops, two tanks, including a German-made Leopard, two US-made 155 mm M777 howitzers, a 152 mm Msta-B howitzer, and three 122 mm Gvozdika artillery pieces.
Units from Battlegroup Yug Group engaged in combat with Ukrainian formations in the settlements of Andreevka, Belogorovka, Kurakhovo, Kurdyumovka, Ostroye, Konstantinovka, and Spornoe in the DPR, causing up to 275 personnel losses, six vehicles, and an armored personnel carrier.
Elswhere in the DPR, forces from Battlegroup Vostok engaged Ukrainian forces in Vodyanoye, Makarovka, Prechistovka, and Urozhaynoye. Enemy losses were said to have amounted to 160 troops, two tanks, three vehicles, an M198 howitzer, and three D-30 guns.
In the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, units from Battlegroup Dnepr reported engagments with Ukrainian forces in and around the settlements of Stepnoe and Rabotino in Zaporozhye, and Tokarevka in Kherson. Enemy losses were said to include 40 troops, four M777 howitzers, a D-20 and D-30 howitzer, and a Nota electronic warfare station.
The MoD also indicated that forces from the Russian Black Sea Fleet had destroyed five Ukrainian unmanned drone boats off the coast of Crimea.
Tactical aviation units as well as missile and artillery forces reported the destruction of two Ukrainian enterprises engaged in the production of drones, and to have struck positions across 122 separate areas. A Ukrainian Su-27 jet was destroyed, along with 23 drones, as were seven HIMARS missiles launched toward Russian positions.
In addition, the military reported the destruction of an array of Ukrainian artillery in counter-battery fire, including an M109 Paladin, three M777 howitzers, a 105 mm M119 gun, two Polish-made Krab self-propelled howitzers, a 122 mm D-30 howitzer, three Enklav and Bukovel-AD electronic warfare stations, and a US-made counter-battery AN/TPQ-50 radar.
Nuclear weapons drills a response to ‘escalation’ – Kremlin
Russia has decided to hold tactical nuclear weapons drills in response to certain NATO countries’ remarks about potentially sending troops to Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said.
Earlier on Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced plans to test its ability to deploy the arms. The exercise will be conducted “in the near future” and was ordered by President Vladimir Putin, the ministry said.
According to Peskov, the decision was made following a “new” and “unprecedented” escalation of the situation surrounding the Ukraine conflict.
“They talked about the readiness and even the intention to send armed contingents to Ukraine, that is, to actually put NATO soldiers in front of the Russian military,” Peskov said at a press briefing on Monday.
Last week, French President Emanuel Macron suggested that Western nations “would legitimately have to ask” themselves whether they should deploy their militaries to Ukraine “if the Russians were to break through the front lines, [and] if there were a Ukrainian request.”
Across the Atlantic, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Sunday that the US may have to deploy troops to Ukraine if its efforts to support Kiev with military aid fail and the country falls.
Former UK Prime Minister and current Foreign Secretary David Cameron stated last week that Ukraine has every right to use British weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia.
”This is a new round of escalation of tension, and it is unprecedented. It requires special attention and special measures,” Peskov told journalists on Monday.
The Defense Ministry in Moscow cited “provocative statements and threats against Russia by certain Western officials” as the reason for the exercise. Missile forces from the Southern Military District will be directly involved in the drills, the ministry said. The goal is to iron out “the practical aspects of the preparation and deployment of non-strategic nuclear weapons,” it added.
Moscow has repeatedly alleged that NATO has long been a “de facto” party to the Ukraine conflict, as it has been providing Kiev with arms, sharing intelligence, and training Ukrainian troops. According to the secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolay Patrushev, the US-led military bloc is aiming to control Ukraine and turn it into an “anti-Russian” proxy.
According to Russia, despite threats from the West, it will continue to carry out its military operation in Ukraine until all of its goals are achieved.
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