(NewsInsights.org) – Ukrainian forces have scored another significant victory in their ongoing attempts to fend off Russia’s invasion. During the early morning hours of May 30, the country’s Group 13 intelligence task force successfully intercepted and destroyed a pair of enemy speedboats operating just off the coast of Crimea.
Group 13 captured video footage of the engagement as it happened. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense later shared the footage on X, formerly known as Twitter, noting that intelligence forces identified both vessels to be KS-701 Tunets.
The late May naval strike is just one of the many examples of Ukraine defying Russia’s expectations on the battlefield in 2024. President Vladimir Putin has consistently pushed for military supremacy over the country, but Ukraine’s forces have ultimately thwarted the effort.
On March 5, Group 13 used MAGURA V5 maritime drones to destroy the Sergey Kotov, a $65 million Russian Black Sea Fleet patrol boat. The explosion caused at least seven fatalities.
On April 1, State Border Guard Service agents intercepted a group of saboteurs near Suny Oblast. The military used British-supplied cruise missiles to strike a Russian command base located in the occupied territory of Luhansk later in the month.
Putin’s military claimed responsibility for capturing a laundry list of smaller villages as well as a series of devastating Shahed drone and missile attacks across multiple regions in late April. The strikes caused significant damage to local infrastructure, including power sources.
Ukraine was eventually forced to retreat from several key locations. For a time, Russia appeared to be gaining ground, and the battle continued to wax and wane. On May 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a warning about dire conditions in the northeast.
But just a short time later, Ukraine began reporting wins of its own once again. Between May 25 and June 1, the country’s Armed Forces took responsibility for eliminating nearly 1,200 Russian soldiers, 46 enemy drones, and 20 cruise missiles.
Prior to May 30, the US prohibited Ukraine from using US-supplied weapons to strike targets within Russia. President Joe Biden’s decision to grant the country more authority empowered forces to strike a Russian S-300/400 air defense battery in Belgorod Oblast with HIMARS around June 1-2. While the war is far from over, it’s clear Ukraine isn’t backing down.
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