Russian Warships Chase Ukraine’s Special Forces Following A Daring Nighttime Raid On Crimea

A Ukraine-based Special Forces soldier said that he and his comrades were being chased by Russian war vessels following a daring nighttime raid on Russia-occupied Crimea.

The soldier had been speaking about an amphibious operation earlier in the month, per CNN.

The raid’s goal was to sabotage Russia’s military equipment and keep Ukraine’s hopes alive that it would retake the peninsula, per CNN.

Video Credits: The Sun / YouTube

Crimea had been annexed by Russia back in 2014 and is a key base from which it launched several of its attacks on Ukraine.

Ukraine impaired Russia’s military equipment near the coast, the report stated, and the soldier mentioned to CNN that on the way back after accomplishing the task, Russia’s warships had been chasing them, but they managed a successful escape.

The operation went smoothly, the soldier, who uses the call sign Muzykant, which indicates “the musician,” stated.

Per a CNN report, the soldiers involved had taken speed boats to cross the sea and then changed to riding on jet skis when they reportedly got closer to the peninsula, making it harder for them to detect.

The Ukrainian military intelligence service, popular as GUR, mentioned on 4 October that some forces landed in Crimea without highlighting particular details.

Andrey Yusov, the GUR representative, told the Ukrainian outlet Ukrainska Pravda that Ukraine encountered losses, but Russia suffered much higher losses.

Night-time aerial footage published by Ukraine reflected jet skis crossing the sea and sailing toward Crimea, slowing down as they hit the shore and showed soldiers stepping out.

Ukraine’s soldiers then appeared to hold up a flag of Ukraine.

Muzykant further described the risks to Ukraine’s soldiers in the raid.

He informed CNN that the sea was highly “stormy” when they landed, with waves reaching about 6.6 feet in height.

Besides, Russian war vessels had been patrolling at the sea, per the Raptors. There were four of those, each with a crew comprising 20 Russian soldiers armed with machine guns and a 30-millimeter gun, he mentioned.

According to CNN’s report, his battalion had about ten soldiers in the raid. Ukraine has not yet disclosed how many soldiers were involved.

While serving as a key base for Russia, Crimea holds a massive symbolic value for both countries.

Ukraine has also vowed to take it back as it pushes back against the full-blown invasion that Russia started in February last year.

Ukraine has reportedly ramped up attacks on the Russian military base in Crimea and the Black Sea Fleet Russia had maintained there. Russia now seems to have moved some vessels to other ports.

A group of Ukraine’s commandos mentioned that they travelled to Crimea covertly on jet skis in August 2023 and struck one of Russia’s electronic warfare stations with its anti-tank weapons and rocket-propelled grenades.

One of the soldiers involved in that raid tor promised more similar actions, informing The Times of London that they now have the means for planning and executing larger operations. There is also a lot more yet to come.

References: Business Insider India, CNN

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