Ukrainian special forces conducted an amphibious raid on the Russian-occupied Kinburn Spit in the Black Sea, killing about 30 Russian soldiers and destroying six armored vehicles, Ukraine's military intelligence said on August 9.
Russian forces have occupied the Kinburn Spit, which juts into the Black Sea northwest of Crimea, since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Moscow's military vantage point on the spit is seen as one of the reasons why Ukraine cannot reopen its ports of Mykolayiv and Kherson and export goods from them via its Black Sea shipping corridor.
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"As a result of a raid on the Kinburn Spit occupied by the Russians, six units of enemy armored vehicles were destroyed and about three dozen invaders were eliminated," the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) said in a statement.
The HUR noted that during the operation Russian fortifications were attacked at the positions of the Kinburn fortress, sea terminal, and Suvorov monument. A military intelligence flag was installed in the area of the latter, the statement said.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the raid was repelled, Interfax reported.
"Saboteurs numbering up to 16 militants on two high-speed boats, under the cover of two fire-support boats, attempted to land troops on the coast," the ministry said.
The group suffered its first losses near the shore when they were blown up by mines, the ministry said, adding that the rest were destroyed by small-arms fire.
The ministry said 12 Ukrainian troops were lost and both boats were destroyed by artillery fire and anti-tank guided missiles.