A video appears to show Ukrainian special forces raiding a Russian-occupied island using US speedboats firing heavy machine guns

• A video shows Ukrainian naval forces raiding a Russian-occupied island in the Dnipro River.
• The team appeared to use US-provided speedboats and drones to strike their target.
• Ukrainian assault groups have been operating around the Dnipro River since earlier this year.

A video appears to show Ukrainian naval special forces raiding a Russian-occupied island in the Dnipro River in the Kherson region.

The armed forces claimed that the operation led to one Russian boat being destroyed and another damaged, with three Russian soldiers killed and five injured, The Kyiv Post reported.

The unit is nicknamed "Seals" after their US Navy counterparts, said The Kyiv Post.

The video opens with drone footage that hones in on a Russian observation post on the island, with Russian soldiers seen jogging away.

The Ukrainian forces deployed troops from the 73rd Special Forces Maritime Center to attack in two speedboats. Russian milbloggers referred to the Ukrainian troops as "devils swimming along the Dnipro," The Kyiv Post said.

Footage taken from a camera on the boat as well as from a drone shows the Ukrainian boats speeding towards the outpost while firing on it with a heavy machine gun.

The boats then navigate upriver away from the outpost as the Russians target them with artillery.

The Kyiv Post said that the boats appeared to be US-provided Willard Sea Force 730 or Willard Sea Force 11M speedboats, of which the Ukrainian Navy has 10.

Russian boats are then deployed to the area, and the Ukrainian forces attack them using drones.

At one point, a strike causes an explosion in the water, and a smaller Russian boat comes to transfer the wounded while the Ukrainian drone continues to fire on them.

Ukraine has been conducting offensive operations along the frontlines as part of its efforts to take back territory occupied by Russia.

Ukrainian troops appeared to have established positions on the east bank of the Dnipro River near Kherson earlier this year, suggesting Russia's defensive positions in the area were weakening.

The area has faced continued shelling by Russian forces ever since, according to The Kyiv Post.

Ukraine took back the city of Kherson from Russian control in November 2022, but large parts of Kherson Oblast on the other side of the river are still occupied.