Special operation ends in disaster
Elite Ukrainian soldiers are caught in a deadly ambush
February 29, 2024, 9:04 p.m
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Kiev’s special forces have been operating for months in the Russian-occupied coastal areas in southern Ukraine using pinprick tactics. But now one of these commando operations apparently ends in catastrophe.
A Ukrainian special forces unit has reportedly suffered heavy casualties during a mission in the southern Kherson region. Like, among other things, the newspaper “Kyiv Post” reports that soldiers from the 73rd Maritime Special Operations Center were ambushed by Russia early Wednesday morning while landing on the Tendra Spit in the Black Sea.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that “up to 25” Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the battle. In addition, four boats were hijacked and a Ukrainian soldier was taken prisoner. The Kyiv Post quoted a Russian military blogger as saying that special forces from the Baltic Fleet carried out the ambush. Accordingly, two Russian soldiers were injured by a drone.
Other Russian propagandists claim that a Ukrainian dinghy escaped, according to the paper. Other boats were partly sunk by Russian fire. The Russian military blog Voenacher also published photos showing six bodies in Ukrainian military uniforms on board a blood-smeared military boat. The information cannot be independently verified.
“May they rest in peace”
The special forces of Ukraine shared on Telegram withthat soldiers from the 73rd Maritime Special Operations Center died in a battle with Russian occupiers. “In order to ensure the withdrawal of the main forces of the group after the completion of a special operation, the soldiers took on their final battle,” the channel says. “May they rest in peace.” The Ukrainian Defense Ministry confirmed an “unsuccessful attack” near the Tendra Spit and the death and wounding of special forces, although it did not provide details.
Since the liberation of the city of Kherson, Ukrainian special forces have repeatedly headed for the Russian-occupied coastal areas in the south of the country. In November 2022, Kiev declared the Kinburn Peninsula at the mouth of the Dnipro River “a zone of active military operations.” Last summer, Ukraine celebrated an amphibious commando operation in Crimea.
According to the Kyiv Post, the 73rd Maritime Special Operations Center consists of hand-picked soldiers who specialize in covert operations at sea. Accordingly, the unit was involved in the liberation of the strategically important Snake Island in July 2022. Last September, the unit recaptured four oil platforms off the southern coast of Crimea, the paper writes.