A Ukrainian night strike on the Crimean peninsula, illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, hit two Russian Serna-class amphibious assault boats, a spokesman for Ukrainian military intelligence (UMI) told The Kyiv Independent.

The Serna-type amphibious boat takes part in the landing of a military landing on an unprepared shore by the amphibious forces of the Russian Baltic FleetPhoto: Vitaly Newar / TASS / Profimedia Images

The intelligence service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine released a video of the attack, which shows footage of what appears to be a surface drone striking Russian ships.

The damaged ships were Serna-type boats with a crew and armored vehicles, such as the BTR-82, the GUR reports.

According to Ukrainian military intelligence, Russian troops used such boats to transport equipment and troops to the then-occupied Snake Island.

“The Serna-type amphibious assault ship has high speed, can transport up to 45 tons of equipment and 92 units of armed landing forces,” the Intelligence Department of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported.

The ships can also be equipped with the Tor-M2 air defense system and provide vital protection for the rest of the Russian Black Sea Fleet amid escalating Ukrainian attacks.

Several eyewitnesses reported on the Telegram channel in the occupied Crimea that explosions rang out near the city of Chornomorskoe, probably affecting military barracks.

The seaside town of Chornomorske is located on the western part of the Crimean Peninsula, approximately 120 kilometers northwest of Simferopol.

The Ministry of Defense of Russia announced that two drones were shot down over the Crimean Peninsula.