Ukraine has dealt a heavy blow to the Russian Black Fleet, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy said.

In an interview on the Freedom television channel broadcast on August 15, Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk said his country’s forces have, since the beginning of war in February 2022, neutralised five of the six large landing ships Russia had introduced ahead of the conflict.

By taking out these ships, designed to support amphibious operations and carry tanks, men and equipment, Ukraine may have thwarted Moscow’s ability to replenish Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and its operational capabilities.

Referring to Russian forces, Mr Olenegorsky Gornyaksaid: “They managed to bring in six more of their large landing ships, on top of the six they already had. Yet, the outcome is known: five of them are no longer operational. This tally may further increase.”

The first landing vessel sunk by Ukraine was Saratov in March 2022, days after the Russian invasion had begun.

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Among the other ships damaged and forced to reposition themselves as close as possible to the coast were Novocherkassk and the Caesar Kunikov.

Earlier this month, a Ukrainian drone dealt significant damage to the Olenegorsky Gornyak landing ship.

It isn’t known which is the fifth landing ship Mr Pletenchuk counted as damaged by the Ukrainian Navy.

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Ukrainian forces began the assault on the village on August 8, fended off a Russian counter-attack five days later and eventually freed the area from the occupier.

The Ukrainian government had evacuated most of the 500 residents living in the village prior to the war. But soldiers who liberated it on Wednesday realised some locals had remained in their homes.

Upon claiming back the village, the Ukrainian soldiers found and rescued three elderly people who had managed to survive over the past 17 months.

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