An unmanned Ukrainian kamikaze surface drone struck a Russian landing ship, causing significant damage to the target vessel in the Black Sea, off the coast of Sevastopol, Crimea.

The Russian Ministry of Defense acknowledged the attack but claimed the bomb-laden drone boat had been destroyed on its approach. Footage from the surface vessel disproves the Russian claim as the munition can be seen hitting the Russian ship uncontested.

Additionally, witness footage shows the target vessel, a Project 775/Ropucha I-class large landing ship Olenegorskiy Gornyak (SDK-91), being towed into harbor by tug boats as the ship lists heavily to the port side, indicating significant flooding.

The attack was reportedly a joint operation between the Ukrainian SBU and Ukrainian Navy. The unmanned surface vessel reportedly carried approximately 1,000 lbs of TNT. While the Russian landing ship wasn't sunk, the significant damage will likely take months to repair, if the ship is even salvageable.

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Will Killmore

Will Killmore is a US Army combat infantry veteran and Purple Heart recipient. He has deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with the 172nd Stryker Brigade and 173rd Airborne Brigade. Following his time in service, he successfully pursued a certificate of journalism and has been a blogger for Funker530 since 2014. Follow Will’s bad takes on Twitter