Ukrainian special forces carried out a daring raid to take control of a Russia-occupied island in the Black Sea. Commandos stormed Tendrivska Spit in boats and wiped out an entire Russian garrison in the military operation.
Putin’s army had transformed the 65-kilometre sliver of land into an electronic warfare hub, allowing it to closely monitor and control a significant area of the northern Black Sea. The Russians had assembled sophisticated electronic warfare equipment, including a “Zont” jamming complex and a “Rosa” radar station. The radar station gave Russian forces advance warning of Ukrainian naval movements and enabled them to disrupt aerial drone strikes.
The special force soldiers approached the island at speed in rubber boats mounted with radars, electronic warfare systems and machine guns.
After landing on the beaches, they quickly disembarked and moved inland, where they waited for the cover of darkness to launch their attack.
During the operation, they used FVP drones to feed live intelligence to the assault groups, and to take out Russian barracks situated along the route.
The special forces also destroyed Russian boats used fir resupplying the outposts and rotating the troops with a Bayraktar drone. The commandos later released their own video of a Ukrainian flag flying over the island.
Taking possession of Tendrivska Spit potentially allows Ukraine to target Russian military assets in Crimea more easily and extensively. Ukrainian naval drones will be able to move more stealthily along the coastline and release waves of FPV drones into the Russian-controlled peninsula.
The Black Sea is strategically vital for Ukraine because it provides access to international trade routes connecting Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
Ukraine conducts operations in the Black Sea both to defend territorial waters it considers its own and to disrupt Russian military and economic activities in the region.
Zelensky’s forces have been systematically targeting Russian positions on isolated islands and coastal areas, using their advantage in small boat operations. Each successful raid forces Russia to commit more resources to defending scattered outposts.
