Ukrainian Forces Collaborate with Rebels to Allegedly Sink Russian Arms Ships in the Caspian Sea

Ukraine’s special forces announced on Friday that they conducted an operation in collaboration with a Russian insurgent group, which reportedly led to the destruction of two Russian cargo ships that were allegedly transporting weapons and military supplies across the Caspian Sea.

The Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SOF) stated that their team, along with the rebel organization «Black Spark,» targeted the Russian-flagged vessels, Kompozitor Rakhmaninov and Askar-Saridzha, near the coast of Russia’s Kalmykia region.

According to SOF, the operation “led to the destruction” of both ships, while “Black Spark” acknowledged that they incurred damage but did not specify if the vessels were completely destroyed.

Neither group disclosed the date of the operation nor the methods employed.

For over 18 days, Kompozitor Rakhmaninov and Askar-Saridzha have not sent any data through the Automatic Identification System (AIS), as reported by the global vessel tracking service marinetraffic.com.

SOF credited Black Spark with supplying “thorough information regarding the vessels’ routes and cargo.”

The United States has imposed sanctions on Kompozitor Rakhmaninov and MG-Flot, the owner of both ships, for their role in transporting cargo between Iran and Russia. The European Union has also sanctioned MG-Flot, alleging that it facilitated the movement of Iranian military-related items, including components for drones, across the Caspian Sea.

The Moscow Times was unable to independently verify the assertions made by SOF and Black Spark.

To date, Russia’s Defense Ministry and other officials have not publicly responded to the claims regarding the operation.