Ukraine Claims its Sea Drones Sank Two Russian Black Sea Fleet Ships
Ukraine has announced that its sea drones successfully targeted and sank two ships belonging to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. Video footage released by Ukraine’s military intelligence agency shows the attack and the subsequent explosive aftermath in occupied Crimea. This incident highlights Ukraine’s effective use of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) to disrupt Russian naval assets in the Black Sea. It also suggests that Russia has struggled to adapt to this ongoing and significant problem.
The video, originally shared on Telegram and later on social media platforms, shows the drone boats approaching Russian ships in the Black Sea. The footage captures one USV navigating the waters before turning towards a Russian vessel. The video then switches to a different angle, likely from the other drone boat, showing an explosion in the water. The second USV then strikes another vessel, resulting in a ship on fire.
Ukraine further supported its claims by sharing a satellite image on Telegram, pinpointing the location where the Russian landing vessels were docked in Uzka Bay. According to Ukraine, both ships were sunk, with one sinking immediately and the other putting up a fight before eventually sinking.
Russia’s defense ministry has not released any statements regarding the condition of the two vessels. The authenticity of the footage and Ukraine’s claims cannot be independently verified at this time.
Since late last year, Ukraine has relied on its fleet of remotely-piloted sea drones to target Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. In early August, two major attacks were carried out, one targeting a landing ship near Novorossiysk and the other hitting a Russian merchant tanker near the Kerch Strait. Experts consider these cheap and explosive drones as Ukraine’s “asymmetric advantage” against Russia.
In addition to the drone boats, Ukraine has also used its stockpile of Western-made cruise missiles, such as the Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG, to target vulnerable and high-profile Russian naval assets in Crimea. These tactics have enabled Ukraine, which lacks a significant naval fleet, to effectively challenge Russia’s dominance in the Black Sea.
The recent attack has raised questions about Russia’s ability to protect its Black Sea Fleet from Ukrainian strikes. Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War believe that Ukraine’s interdiction campaign against Russian military infrastructure in occupied Crimea has significantly degraded Russia’s military capabilities in the region.
In a separate incident in the Black Sea, a Russian anti-radar missile struck a Liberian-flagged cargo ship, resulting in one death and four injuries. The attack occurred months after Russia threatened to consider all vessels in the region as potential carriers of military cargo. The UK’s defense ministry stated that the Russian missile was likely targeting Ukrainian military radars and may have accidentally locked onto the ship’s radar, indicating poor weapons employment tactics by Russian operators.
It is important to note that the original article was published on Business Insider.
