Ukraine said one of its elite squads raided the western coast of the Crimean peninsula and killed scores of Russian soldiers — a daring incursion in Kyiv’s otherwise struggling counteroffensive against Moscow’s occupying forces.

While Ukrainian elite units have raided enemy positions across the Dnipro river multiple times in the past, this is the first time officials have confirmed an incursion into Crimea. One of the goals of Kyiv’s counteroffensive that started in June is to liberate territories and ultimately cut off Moscow’s land access to Crimea. But progress has been slow, mainly due to Russia’s fortified defence lines, frustrating Kyiv’s allies.

The night-time raid in the early hours of Thursday involved a speed boat crossing the Black Sea and landing on the peninsula that Moscow has occupied since 2014 and used as a staging ground for its full-scale invasion last year, officials said.