Kyiv: Ukrainian sea drones struck and sank a Russian Black Sea Fleet warship off the occupied Crimea region in an overnight attack, the Ukrainian military said on Tuesday. Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency said Magura V5 maritime drones were fired at the Sergey Kotov patrol vessel near the Kerch Strait, which connects the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea.

Announcing the development, the military said on the Telegram platform that the vessel had sustained damage to the stern, starboard and port sides, at an estimated cost of $65 million. “Right now this ship is on the seabed as a result of fire damage by unmanned boats,” Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said in televised comments.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made no direct reference to the reported sinking of the vessel in his nightly video address but said Ukraine had shown what it is capable of. “That is shown by the number of downed Russian aircraft and the capabilities of our boys against the Russian fleet. There are no safe havens for Russian terrorists in the Black Sea and nor will there be,” he said.

Russia’s defence ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment but some Russian military bloggers confirmed the account. The Telegram channel VChK-OGPU reported attempts to tow the ship to port but said it eventually sank. Successful Ukrainian drone and missile strikes have provided a major morale boost for Kyiv at a time when its undermanned and under-gunned forces are facing Russian attacks along the more than 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line.

Ukrainian attacks on Black Sea

Ukraine has in recent months stepped up attacks in the Black Sea and on Crimea, which Russia seized and annexed in 2014. Kyiv has reported a series of strikes, including the sinking of a large landing ship by naval drones in mid-February. Pletenchuk said the Sergey Kotov had also been hit in September 2023 and that a similar patrol vessel had been damaged in attacks since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine two years ago.

Zelenskyy said in November that Kyiv had seized the initiative in the Black Sea and forced back Russia’s fleet, even as Moscow has extended its grip to one-fifth of the Ukrainian territory. Challenging Russia’s naval superiority also has helped create more favorable conditions for Ukrainian grain exports and other shipments from the country’s Black Sea ports.

Last month, Ukrainian drones sank Russia’s Caesar Kunikov amphibious landing ship and Ivanovets missile corvette. The Russian military hasn’t acknowledged those losses, either, but they have been reported by Russian military bloggers and some media. In another attack in late December, Ukraine said it destroyed the Novocherkassk landing vessel in Crimea’s port of Feodosia with long-range cruise missiles.

The Ukrainian military also has launched a series of persistent cruise missile and drone strikes on Russian radar facilities, air defense assets and air bases in Crimea, downing two early warning and control aircraft over the Sea of Azov in January and February. The smart use of remote-controlled drone boats laden with explosives has allowed Ukraine to tip the scales of naval warfare in its favor despite Russia’s massive superiority in firepower. 

The efficiency of Magura drones

Tuesday’s strike, if confirmed, would mark the latest successful use of Ukraine’s domestically produced Magura drones, the agile uncrewed boats that have become the Russian navy’s nemesis. The Magura drones are equipped with advanced GPS and cameras, and have a low radar signature that makes them hard to detect.

Its latest version, the Magura V5, is 5.5 meters (18 feet) long, weighs up to 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) and has a range of up to 800 kilometers (500 miles), 60 hours of battery life, and a 200-kilogram (440-pound) payload, according to Ukrainian authorities. It also beams live video to operators.

Ukraine has also been reliant on cruise missiles provided by the UK and France for striking Russian assets in Crimea. The missiles are produced jointly by Britain and France and are called Storm Shadow by the UK and SCALP-EG by France. These are launched from Ukraine’s Soviet-era warplanes and have a range of more than 250 kilometers (155 miles).

Although the Russian Defense Ministry has mostly kept quiet about the Ukrainian drone and missile attacks on its naval assets, Russian military bloggers and commentators have harshly criticized the military brass for its slow and sloppy response to the threat. The strikes have forced the Russian navy to take precautions that have affected its operations, including relocating some of its ships from ports in Crimea farther east to Novorossiysk to better protect them.

(with inputs from agencies)

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