Ukraine’s navy says it has struck an “elite” Russian special unit located on a Black Sea oil rig.
An anti-tank missile crew was killed in the strike and reconnaissance equipment was destroyed at the Syvash drilling rig, near Russian-occupied Crimea, the naval forces said in a Telegram post.
Russia has disputed the account by distributing a video that alleges a Ukrainian naval boat was destroyed by a Lancet drone, but Kyiv’s forces said the video actually showed them deploying a kamikaze drone successfully.
The statement from Ukraine’s naval forces read: “The Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck an elite enemy special unit located on the ‘Syvash’ drilling rig. In addition to the Russian occupiers’ technical reconnaissance and observation equipment, an enemy anti-tank missile system crew was destroyed.
“Trying to pass off another defeat as a victory, the Russians are spreading a video allegedly showing the destruction of a Ukrainian navy boat by a ‘Lancet’ munition, while in reality, we successfully used a kamikaze drone.”
Ukraine’s forces shared a video of the incident on an official Telegram channel, flagging the moment they say they killed the team in the video.
Syvash is a self-elevating drilling rig that can drill wells up to six kilometres (3.7 miles) deep. Owned by Chornomornaftogaz, a Ukrainian state-owned oil and gas company, it is one of four drilling platforms off the coast of Crimea known as the Boiko Towers.
Russia has occupied the Boiko Towers since 2015 and used them in its military activities since the start of the invasion, such as helipads and sites for deploying radar systems.
The interaction comes as the battle on land intensifies over Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine. Moscow forces have been trying to capture the area for over a year, using a pincer tactic to encircle the town of Dobropillia.
Ukraine’s military has said fierce fighting was underway in a part of the city that was key for Kyiv’s frontline logistics. It said additional special forces had arrived there, and more weapons and equipment were being sent.
The Russian Defence Ministry said its soldiers had cleared 35 buildings of Ukrainian troops. It also said that Russian forces were squeezing surrounded Ukrainians near the town of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, about 100 miles (160 km) to the north.
Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X/Twitter that he had visited troops fighting near the eastern city of Dobropillia on Tuesday.
“Much attention was given to weapons, scaling up drone production, the needs of brigades and the experience of the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine ‘Azov’ and other units,” he wrote.
