Ukrainian Navy Reserve Captain names likely number of personnel on Caesar Kunikov

Pavlo Lakiychuk, Head of Security Programs at the Strategy XXI Center for Global Studies, Captain First Rank of the Ukrainian Navy Reserve, believes that in addition to 60 crew members of the Caesar Kunikov, there could have been marines on the ship who were supposed to participate in the exercises of the Russian Black Sea Fleet

He expressed this opinion on the Espreso TV channel.

"As for the personnel on the sinking Caesar Kunikov, there were at least 60 servicemen. More precisely, from 56 to 64 crew members of this type of ship. However, it should be emphasized that this is a large amphibious ship with four more cabins per company of marines. Therefore, when moving from Novorossiysk to Sevastopol, this type of ship added many more soldiers. Also, judging by the explosion, the Caesar Kunikov was transporting ammunition," explained Lakiychuk.

According to Lakiychuk, the probability that any of the crew survived the attack on the Caesar Kunikov is very low.

"The Caesar Kunikov ship was supposed to be involved in the exercises of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which are currently underway. Therefore, it is likely that marines were on this ship. In particular, more than 120 people. Yet the number does not matter so much. Everyone who was on this ship went to the bottom with the ship," he added.

• On the morning of Wednesday, February 14, in the Black Sea, Ukrainian defenders together with the Ukrainian Intelligence targeted the Russian large amphibious assault ship Caesar Kunikov.
• Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy, told Radio Svoboda that after the destruction of the ship in the Black Sea, only five of the 13 ships of the Black Sea Fleet remained "in service."