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According to Ukraine’s military intelligence service, a saboteur was responsible for the damage to a Russian ship.
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According to officials, the Serpukhov was set on fire in April, damaging much of its interior.
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Ukraine stated that the saboteur was a member of a special legion of Russians fighting for Ukraine.
A Russian dissident secretly working with Ukrainian military intelligence was responsible for setting fire to a Russian warship that severely damaged it, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday.
The Ukrainian intelligence service (HUR) said at a press conference that a Russian sailor with the call sign “Hoga” started the fire on board the Serpukhov missile ship in April. Radio Svoboda reported.
They said the ship, which was docked in Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad, required extensive repairs after the fire.
In April, Ukrainian intelligence service has announced that the Serpukhov had been damaged by fire, without explicitly claiming responsibility for this.
The HUR said the ship’s communications and automation systems were damaged. It shared a short video clip of a fire that started in a cabin, as well as diagrams.
Russian authorities declined to comment at the time.
In a statement at Wednesday’s press conferenceThe Ukrainian Legion of “Freedom of Russia” — made up of dissident Russians fighting on the side of Ukraine — said the fire was started by one of its recruits.
Hoga, an active serviceman in the Russian Baltic Fleet, contacted the Ukrainian Program “I want to live” In 2023, Radio Svoboda reported the following to HUR.
The program, which has been operational since late 2022, provides Russians with a secure phone line they can call to arrange a surrender.
Ukraine claims that more than 220 soldiers have surrendered in this way.
Hoga secretly joined the legion “Freedom of Russia”, remained on board the Serpukhov and passed on information to the HUR, risking his own life. the legion said in a statement.
He then committed sabotage on the ship and fled to Ukraine with secret documents, the HUR said.
Business Insider was unable to independently confirm the claims.
The Serpukhov is one of Russia’s most advanced missile ships, according to Ukrainian intelligence.
According to KCHF, a Russian site that closely monitors the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the Serpukhov is capable of attacking land targets with cruise missiles and was previously deployed in the Black Sea before being transferred to the Baltic States in 2016.
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