Ukrainian Naval Drones Strike Russian Patrol Vessel in Crimea: New Footage Emerges
In a dramatic turn of events, new footage has emerged showing the moment Ukrainian naval drones targeted a Russian patrol vessel off the coast of Crimea. The attack took place after unsuccessful attempts by the Russian vessel, named Sergei Kotov, to fend off the incoming drones. The indistinct night-time video, shared on the messaging app Telegram by a local channel covering Crimea, depicts the Russian vessel firing at the approaching Ukrainian surface drones before a bright explosion occurs. The clip was also reshared by Russian nationalist “z-blogger,” Vladislav Pozdnyakov.
The Ukrainian military intelligence agency, known as the GUR, revealed that a special unit of its forces coordinated with the Ukrainian military and Kyiv’s digital transformation ministry to carry out the attack. They utilized Ukrainian-designed Magura V5 naval drones in the operation. The GUR stated that the Sergei Kotov suffered damage to its stern, right, and left sides, estimating the value of the ship at approximately $65 million. A second video, released by the GUR, appears to capture the attack from the perspective of the naval drones, showing them approaching the Russian vessel before it is engulfed in flames.
While Newsweek could not independently verify the authenticity of the footage, this incident is part of a series of Ukrainian naval drone attacks on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and infrastructure in and around Crimea. Despite not having a large navy, Ukraine has demonstrated remarkable prowess in utilizing naval drones to carry out these strikes, which have proven to be deeply embarrassing for Moscow. In fact, Ukraine’s navy claimed that Russia’s Black Sea operations have been “greatly complicated, if not paralyzed,” as a result of these attacks. According to Britain’s defense minister, Grant Shapps, Russia had already lost 20 percent of its Black Sea fleet in the previous four months by late December.
This recent attack adds to the list of successful strikes by Ukrainian naval drones. They have previously taken out a Russian Kilo-class submarine, the Rostov-on-Don, and inflicted damage on several of Moscow’s landing ships. In February, Ukrainian naval drones destroyed Russia’s missile-armed corvette Ivanovets. Notably, during the early days of the ongoing war in 2022, Ukraine managed to sink the Mosvka, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet.
In response to these attacks, Russia has been forced to relocate some of its Black Sea assets further from Ukraine’s coastline. The main base at Sevastopol has been shifted east to Novorossiysk in Russia’s Krasnodar region. Additionally, there are reports suggesting that Russia is establishing another Black Sea base in Abkhazia, a breakaway region internationally recognized as part of Georgia. This strategic move would place Russia’s resources in the Black Sea even further out of Ukraine’s reach.
As of now, Russia’s Defense Ministry has not publicly commented on the recent attack, and Newsweek has reached out to them for further information. The emergence of this new footage serves as a reminder of the escalating tensions between Ukraine and Russia and the innovative tactics employed by Ukraine to challenge Russian dominance in the region.
Update 3/5/2024, 4:20 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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