The Military-Naval Forces (Navy) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have destroyed the Russian Federal Security Service (FSS) border patrol ship "Izumrud," one of the vessels that participated in the November 25, 2018 attack on Ukrainian Navy ships in the Kerch Strait, the press service of the Ukrainian Navy reported.
"Ukrainian naval sailors sank the 2nd rank border patrol cutter using a Sargan-3000 maritime uncrewed surface vessel complex near Novorossiysk. There are dead and wounded among the ship’s crew," the Navy said in a statement on Telegram on Tuesday.
It is reported that it was the "Izumrud" that took part in the attack on the Ukrainian Navy ships in the Kerch Strait on November 25, 2018.
"Retribution is inevitable. To be continued…", the Navy emphasized.
On Tuesday evening, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine released a satellite image on Facebook confirming the destruction of the Russian border patrol ship "Izumrud" near the mooring wall.
The border patrol ship "Izumrud" was launched in 2014. The vessel was equipped with a helipad. Length: 62.5 meters. Displacement: approximately 630-750 tons. Maximum speed: up to 27 knots.
On November 25, 2018, in the Kerch Strait, Russian military forces openly attacked and seized three Ukrainian Navy ships (the small armored artillery boats "Berdiansk" and "Nikopol," as well as the tugboat "Yany Kapu") that were making a planned transit from Odesa to Mariupol. This marked the first open and official attack by regular Russian forces against the Armed Forces of Ukraine since the beginning of the aggression in 2014. At that time, the Russians captured 24 Ukrainian sailors, at least three of whom suffered severe injuries during the shelling.
Earlier today, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy commended the Navy’s strikes in the waters of the Sea of Azov. "There are also results in mid-range strikes: a patrol ship and a shadow fleet tanker were hit in Gelendzhik. Effective work by the Navy: about 430 kilometers from the frontline. There were also successful engagements against three shadow fleet tankers in the Sea of Azov," Zelenskyy emphasized.
He thanked the warriors whose successful operations "bring the war back to where it came from" and stressed that "this war must be ended, and all honorable diplomatic proposals are on the table."
