High-Stakes Coastal Raid Yields Capture of Ukrainian Operative, Claims Russian State Media

Ukrainian Defense Intelligence (DI) has made a bold move by releasing a video that purportedly shows an amphibious raid along the coast of Russian-occupied Crimea. This comes in response to claims by Russian state media that a Ukrainian "saboteur" had been captured.

In a concise statement posted on Telegram, DI declared that Ukrainian Special Forces had "landed on the territory of the Crimean peninsula and inflicted fire on the Moscow occupiers!" The exact date and time of this audacious attack remain undisclosed, but it marks the latest in a series of covert operations carried out by Ukrainian forces, with the last publicized mission dating back to August.

On the other side of the narrative, the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported that the Russian security service, the FSB, had released an interrogation video of a Ukrainian saboteur captured in Crimea. According to RIA Novosti, the captured individual confessed that the group consisted of 16 people and was tasked with planting the Ukrainian flag as a symbolic gesture of the Defense Intelligence's entry into Crimea.

However, the plot thickens. RIA Novosti also detailed Russian air force aircraft thwarting another alleged Ukrainian attempt to land a special forces team near Cape Tarkhankut in Crimea. This daring operation involved three jet skis and one speedboat in the northwestern part of the Black Sea. The FSB's footage reveals hydro-cycles loaded with automatic rifles and ammunition used in the raid, along with the interrogation of the captured saboteur.

Identified as a member of Ukrainian DI, the captive saboteur's admission about planting the Ukrainian flag raises questions about the true objectives of the mission.

Ukraine acknowledges losses on both sides, with Andriy Yusov, the spokesman for Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, confirming that there were casualties among Ukrainian forces during the raid. He revealed that DI fighters engaged in a fierce battle in the occupied Crimea, inflicting significant losses on the Russian side. However, Yusov emphasized that the losses on the Ukrainian side were comparatively lower.

In light of these developments, Yusov affirmed Ukraine's unwavering determination to reclaim Crimea and all occupied territories, stating, "It is not possible without losses. This is, in particular, the price for the fact that Ukraine surrendered Crimea in 2014 without a fight. Ukraine will definitely return Crimea and all the occupied territories." 

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