Budanov on the actions of UA Intel in the Black Sea: a serious operation in the Crimea is under preparation

"These are all preparations for a serious operation in Crimea,” he said.

“This is a test of our statements’ accuracy about the ways of approaching and leaving Crimea. This also makes a good message for the population that has been living under occupation for 10 years. Many of them believe that they have been forgotten."

HUR soldiers, who participated in combat missions planning and implementation, discussed the details of the Black Sea war in 2022-2023.

The special forces unit, Shaman, took advantage of Russian inattentiveness and reached the left bank of Kherson Oblast in the summer of 2023.

"We realized that the enemy is not sufficiently aware of the situation,” said the unit commander, whose call sign is “Shaman.”

“We took boats to the enemy's territory in the interposition space, landed, and immediately had several intense clashes with enemy observation posts. Some of the observation posts were almost completely destroyed or captured,” said “Shaman,” recalling the first steps in the establishment of the left-bank bridgehead.

Members of the special forces unit “Timur” also returned a Ukrainian oil and gas production platform to government control in July 2023, and later participated in a Crimean operation dubbed “The Force Awakens.”

Eliminating Russian Black Sea Fleet ships is one of Group 13 areas of responsibility.

Each mission of this type requires careful preparation, the commander of the unit, whose call sign is “Thirteenth,” noted.

"We understand how to maneuver, at what angle to enter, from which side,” he said.

“We discuss a lot of factors before attacking. The search for objectives and targets begins after that. An attack follows when the target ships are in an advantageous position.”

The $64 million USD Russian Black Sea Fleet patrol ship Sergei Kotov was destroyed by MAGURA V5 maritime drones on the night of March 5 in the territorial waters of Ukraine near the Kerch Strait.