THIS is the dramatic moment Ukraine’s special forces blew up a Russian gas rig in a daring raid in the Black Sea.
Incredible POV footage shows some 14 Sea Force landing craft attacking the Crimea-2 off the coast of the Putin-snatched peninsula.
The exact moment Ukraine hit a drilling rig off the coast of Crimea[/caption]
The Crimea-2 was then seen up in flames[/caption]
A close-up look into the gas rig after the Black Sea raid[/caption]
Video shared on Telegram and X, formerly Twitter, also showed the exact moment the Black Sea rig was hit with pinpoint precision, sparking a massive fireball explosion.
The nighttime raid saw Kyiv’s men arriving in boats and later shooting at the structure as it was engulfed by flames.
Using a MANPADS, a surface-to-air missile, special forces from the GUR shot down a Russian enemy Su-30SM during the mission, causing it to crash into the water.
Friday’s attack reportedly saw Russians losing personnel and equipment, the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine claimed.
The dramatic raid appeared to have finished as the sun rose over the Black Sea, as Ukrainian special ops were seen making their way back in the early morning light.
It comes as a British warship has been dispatched to the English Channel to stalk four Russian vessels including an attack submarine.
And RAF jets were scrambled to intercept two Russian aircraft as tensions skyrocket between Putin and the West over Ukraine missile policy.
HMS Iron Duke and HMS Tyne closely followed four ships as they trawled through British waters in the Channel and the North Sea.
The gas rig on fire seen from the Ukrainian boats[/caption]
And two Typhoon jets flew from Lossiemouth base on Wednesday to intercept a pair of Russian Tu-95 bombers approaching the UK.
In a joint six-day operation with Nato allies, HMS Iron Duke shadowed Kilo-class Russian sub Novorossiysk and RFS Stoiky through the Dover Strait and into the Atlantic.
Meanwhile, Russian propaganda mouthpiece Dmitry Medvedev threatened to “sink” the UK with hypersonic missiles on Friday.
The former Russian president dubbed UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy a liar today as he made the unsettling threat.
“Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy has promised Ukraine 100 years of support,” he said.
“He is lying. So-called Ukraine will not last a quarter of that time.
“The island called Britain is likely to sink in the next few years. Our hypersonic missiles will help if necessary.”
His announcement came shortly before the FSB announced that it had kicked six British diplomats out of Russia for spying.
The British Foreign office confirmed they left the country weeks ago and rubbished the accusations as “baseless”.
Putin himself threatened World War Three when he said Nato would be engaging with Russia directly if the US and UK allow Ukraine to fire their Storm Shadow and ATACMS missiles over enemy lines.
He said: “This would in a significant way change the very nature of the conflict… It would mean that Nato countries are at war with Russia.”
The recent rise in tensions follows indications that the US and UK are heading towards a significant shift in policy on Ukraine.
British PM Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden held crunch talks in Washington DC on Friday to discuss allowing Kyiv to fire long-range missiles deep inside enemy territory.
Ukrainian military claims Russia lost personnel and equipment in the attack[/caption]
