Ukrainian naval drones allegedly sank Russian ships
Ukraine has little to offer Russia militarily at sea, as it no longer has a fleet. However, Kiev can repeatedly use naval drones to deliver pinpricks, as it is doing now. Two Russian landing ships are said to have been hit in an attack near the Crimean peninsula.
According to the Ukrainian military intelligence service, Ukrainian naval drones have sunk two small Russian landing craft near the Crimean peninsula. According to the Ukrainian military, the vessels were manned and loaded with armored vehicles.
The incident, captured on a video released by Ukrainian military intelligence, is the latest example of Ukraine's use of unmanned surface vehicles (USV) to counter the Russian navy in the Black Sea.
Ukraine released footage on Friday that it claims shows two drone attacks on Russian landing ships - a Serna-class vessel and an older Ondatra-class ship - in a port on the occupied Crimean peninsula. The video was initially posted on Telegram before being shared by other sources on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Following the publication of the video, Ukraine posted a satellite image on Telegram of the dock where the Russian landing ships were in Uzka Bay, pointing out that the drone boats sank both ships. One sank "immediately", while the other "fought unsuccessfully" before also sinking later. The Russian Ministry of Defense has not yet commented on the incident.
Ukraine renders Russian corvette unusable
Ukraine has been increasingly relying on remote-controlled naval drones to inflict damage on the Russian Black Sea Fleet since the end of 2022. Two major attacks were carried out at the beginning of August this year. One was aimed at the landing ship Olenegorskiy Gornyak near the port city of Novorossiysk, another at the Russian tanker Sig in the Kerch Strait. Ukraine no longer has its own fleet. Russia captured some ships, others were destroyed. Ukraine also destroyed some of its own ships so that they would not fall into the hands of the Russian invaders.
In addition to the naval drones, Ukraine also repeatedly uses Storm Shadow or Scalp cruise missiles - supplied by the UK and France - to attack the Russian Black Sea fleet. At the beginning of November, the Saliv shipyard in the city of Kerch near the Crimean bridge was hit. A new Russian corvette was hit, which according to Ukrainian sources had not even been deployed yet. The Ukrainian side later reported that the "Askold" was probably irreparably damaged.
The use of drone attacks by Ukraine against Russian vessels in the Black Sea has become a recurring theme, with reports of two small Russian landing craft being sunk near Crimea earlier this year. (First sentence)
The incident involving the Russian corvette "Askold" being possibly irreparably damaged by a cruise missile attack in Kerch, near the Crimean bridge, is another example of Ukraine's unconventional warfare tactics against Russia's Black Sea Fleet. (Second sentence)
Despite Russia's control over Crimea and its alleged efforts to modernize its Black Sea Fleet, Ukraine's use of drones and cruise missiles in targeted attacks underscores the ongoing tensions and the risk of a wider conflict in the region. (Third sentence)
Source: www.ntv.de
