Moment Ukrainian commandos storm Crimea on jet skis in a daring midnight attack – before a deadly firefight with Russian invaders that leaves casualties on both sides
- Drone footage showed a fleet of water vessels crawling towards Crimea
- Ukrainian troops landed on captured territory in the middle of the night
- The elite soldiers then became involved in a deadly firefight with Russian soldiers
This is the moment Ukrainian commandos stormed Crimea in the middle of the night with jet skis and boats in a daring attack on the Russian-occupied peninsula.
Drone footage showed a fleet of water vessels crawling from the port city of Vylkove across the Black Sea towards Crimea, which was seized by Russia in 2014.
The video appears to have been taken at the end of the 350 kilometer journey, undertaken in the middle of the night by 16 special forces soldiers.
The soldiers were then seen waving a Ukrainian flag as they arrived on the coast of Crimea.
Ukraine said special forces “inflicted fire damage on Moscow’s occupiers” upon landing, adding: “Crimea will be Ukrainian!” Glory to Ukraine.”
Andriy Yusov, spokesman for Kyiv’s military intelligence, said that while “there were many deaths and injuries among the (Russian) personnel,” he admitted that Ukrainian forces also suffered heavy losses.
The video appears to have been taken at the end of the 350 kilometer journey, in the middle of the night.
Drone footage showed a fleet of water vessels crawling across the Black Sea towards Crimea
During the mission, sixteen frogmen crawled across the Black Sea to reach Crimea
The soldiers were then seen waving a Ukrainian flag as they arrived on the coast of Crimea
“Unfortunately, there are losses among the Ukrainian defenders, which are still not comparable to the Russian ones,” he said.
‘A special operation aimed at relieving Crimea continues.
“We appeal to all residents of the peninsula to wait and assist the armed forces in every possible way in the return of Ukrainian territories.”
Russian media claimed that 13 Ukrainians had been killed.
“There were no injuries or deaths among the (Russian) border guards,” said the report, which said war planes had been used against the Ukrainians.
An FSB spokesman said they managed to capture 46-year-old Ukrainian soldier Alexander Lyubos.
He was filmed with his hands tied behind his back and stated that he was a soldier of Unit 0336 of the Main Directorate of Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.
Under questioning by his captors, he said the purpose of the mission was to plant a Ukrainian flag in Crimea.
Ukrainian soldier Alexander Lyubos (pictured) was reportedly captured by Russian forces
He was asked about his rank and which unit he served under
Russian media tried to claim this was a highly decorated colonel, Oleksandr Lobas, 51, but later admitted it was not him.
The images come days after Ukraine sent an earlier jet ski mission to Crimea, the first time Ukrainian soldiers have set foot on the peninsula since 2014.
Ten jet skis were used to transport 20 Ukrainian frogmen on a 265-mile round trip across a treacherous, storm-ravaged stretch of the Black Sea.
The mission, which took place in late August but was publicly discussed for the first time earlier this week, saw the elite soldiers get into a firefight with Russian troops outside a “control center.”
During the first battle, which lasted about 30 minutes, the group was able to cause significant damage to the main building and three military vehicles.
After the first bout of damage, a withdrawal order was issued and all twenty frogmen boarded their jet skis and were chased by Russian aircraft for four hours.