Ukrainian special forces announced on Telegram on 12/12 that they collaborated with local resistance group "Black Spark" in an operation targeting two ships off the coast of Russia's Republic of Kalmykia.

The targeted vessels were identified as Composer Rakhmaninoff and Askar-Sarydzha. The US had previously sanctioned these ships for allegedly transporting military cargo between Iran and Russia.

Black Spark provided detailed intelligence on the ships' movements and cargo, facilitating the Ukrainian special forces' attack. Kyiv did not disclose the attack method or the extent of damage to the vessels.

Russia has not commented on the incident.

One of the two Russian ships Ukrainian special forces claim to have attacked. *Ukrainian Special Forces*.

On the same day, Kyiv also announced it had retaken two villages in the northern Kharkiv region and repelled Russian forces in Kupyansk, a key railway hub Moscow claimed to have seized last month.

The Khartia battalion announced on social media, "Kindrashivka, Radkivka, and their surrounding areas have been liberated, along with some neighborhoods in northern Kupyansk."

Russian forces stated in late November they had re-established control over Kupyansk. They initially captured the city in 2022, but Ukrainian forces later recaptured it.

In recent months, Russia has claimed significant battlefield advances, pushing Ukrainian forces onto the defensive. Kyiv has repeatedly dismissed Moscow's reports of major gains, asserting these are propaganda efforts to suggest Ukraine's imminent collapse and influence peace negotiations to end the conflict.

Washington is urging Kyiv to accept significant territorial concessions as part of a US plan to end the conflict, now in its nearly fourth year.

Vu Hoang (According to AFP, Reuters)