Ukraine Forces Make 'Amphibious Landing' in Crimea: Kyiv

Ukraine launched an "amphibious assault" on Russian-annexed Crimea, Kyiv officials said on Thursday, after Ukraine said it had taken out a Russian air defense system in the west of the peninsula.

Ukrainian military forces landed in Crimea with seaborne vessels and aircraft, Kyiv's military intelligence agency said on Thursday, in comments reported by Ukrainian media.

"The units of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense landed as part of a special operation, [and] all tasks were completed," said Andrey Yusov, a spokesperson for the agency.

On Wednesday, Ukraine's military intelligence agency said it had destroyed a Russian S-400 air defense system in Crimea at around 10 a.m. local time at Cape Tarkhankut.

"As a result of the explosion, the installation itself, the missiles installed on it and the personnel were completely destroyed," Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) said, publishing footage showing a large explosion and a dense cloud of smoke rising after an apparent strike.

"This is a painful blow to the air defense system of the occupiers," the military intelligence agency added.

In a post to social media on Thursday, the GUR posted footage it said was filmed in Crimea during the joint operation with the Ukrainian navy. The dimly-lit night-time footage shows a Ukrainian soldier hanging the country's blue and yellow flag on the side of an unknown structure.

Russian military bloggers noted Ukrainian activity in western Crimea on Wednesday and Thursday, supporting reports of Kyiv's fighters around the Cape Tarkhankut area.

Ukrainian forces "launched a combined attack on Cape Tarkhankut in Crimea, where several Russian military facilities are located," influential Russian military blogger account Rybar said on Thursday morning, saying drones used in the attack were intercepted by Russian air defenses. The account said on Wednesday that Ukraine had been "actively monitoring" the area for several weeks.

SHOT, a Telegram account linked to Russian security services, claimed Moscow's forces had taken out four Ukrainian ships vessels near Cape Tarkhankut. Ukraine's GUR said there had been no casualties among Ukrainian forces.

Russia annexed Crimea, the peninsula to the south of mainland Ukraine, back in 2014, and used the territory both to launch its invasion in 2022 and to strike Ukrainian targets throughout the war. Kyiv has repeatedly vowed to bring Crimea back under its control, and has upped its attacks on the peninsula as it rolled out its land counteroffensive in southern and eastern Ukraine.

Moscow frequently accuses Kyiv of unmanned aerial vehicle and waterborne drone attacks on Crimea, where Russia bases its Black Sea fleet.

Update 08/24/23 at 6:45 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.