Watch: Ukraine Strikes 2 Russian Landing Ships In Crimea, Destroys $5 Million Radar System

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) said a special operations unit struck two Russian landing ships and destroyed a radar system in occupied Crimea.

According to HUR, the overnight operation on April 18-19 targeted two large landing ships of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, the Project 775 Yamal and the Project 1171 Nikolai Filchenkov, while they were berthed in Sevastopol Bay.

Ukrainian intelligence said both vessels were put out of action.

The agency also said the operation destroyed a Russian Podlyot-K1 low-altitude radar system in occupied Sevastopol. Ukrainian officials estimated the radar’s value at around $5 million.

HUR said the operation was carried out by its Prymary, or “Ghosts”, special unit.

Video footage released by Ukrainian intelligence purportedly showed strikes on the naval and radar targets, though the extent of damage could not be independently verified.

The Yamal, commissioned in 1988, has capacity to carry up to 500 tonnes of cargo, including armoured vehicles and troops. Ukrainian intelligence valued the vessel at more than $80 million.

The Nikolai Filchenkov, built in 1975, can reportedly transport up to 1,000 tonnes of cargo, including dozens of armoured vehicles and a sizeable landing force. Its value was estimated at over $70 million.

In Russia’s Krasnodar region, Ukrainian drones reportedly targeted the port city of Tuapse, killing at least one person, injuring another and damaging transport infrastructure, according to regional governor Veniamin Kondratiev.

The attack was the second reported strike on Tuapse port in three days, coming hours after a fire from an earlier attack had been extinguished.

Ukrainian forces were also reported to have struck the Atlant Aero facility in Taganrog, which manufactures Molniya drones and components for Orion unmanned aerial vehicles.

Russian media reports cited by Ukrainian outlets said Neptune missiles may have been used in that strike.

Drone activity was also reported near the Russian port of Yeysk, although regional authorities reportedly denied any fire at the facility.

Per reports, a previous Ukrainian strike had also targeted the Tuapse oil refinery on April 16, part of what Ukrainian officials described as efforts to disrupt Russian revenue streams.

Shipping markets have closely monitored attacks on Russian ports and energy facilities, particularly in the Black Sea, where disruptions can affect tanker movements, insurance risk calculations and regional maritime trade.

Crimea remains a critical logistics base for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, supporting naval deployments and supply routes linked to the war.

While Ukraine targeted Russian military and port assets, Russian forces launched attacks across several Ukrainian regions overnight, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy and Zaporizhia, Ukrainian authorities said.

Officials in Sumy said drones struck a car in Putyvl, injuring three women. In Kyiv’s Brovary district, two homes were reportedly damaged and one person injured.

Kyiv regional military administration head Mykola Kalashnyk said Russian drones had again targeted civilian areas.

Rail infrastructure in Kharkiv was also damaged, according to Ukrainian reports.

Officials said Russian attacks over the past 24 hours killed one person and injured seven in the Kherson region, while four others were injured in Zaporizhia.

The United Nations has previously estimated that more than 15,000 Ukrainian civilians have died since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

References: Al Jazeera, KyivPost