A Ukrainian maritime drone sank a Russian warship near occupied Crimea, according to Ukrainian military intelligence, in what appeared to be a series of unlikely successes against the once-feared Black Sea Fleet. Latest together.
An expert said the achievement of “a country without a navy defeating a supposedly almighty Russian fleet” would also provide Ukraine with psychological support at a time when international support for Kiev has stalled and morale is low. Boost.
Ukraine claims special operations forces sank ship Sergei Kotov A patrol ship used a high-tech maritime drone loaded with explosives near the Kerch Strait in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
“Russian ship No. 22160 due to Magura V5 maritime drone attack Sergei Kotov The stern, starboard and port sides were damaged,” Ukrainian intelligence said. It added that the ship was worth about $65 million (£51.2 million).
“The Russian Black Sea Fleet is a symbol of occupation. It cannot be in Ukrainian Crimea,” President Zelensky’s chief of staff Andrei Yermak said on the messaging app Telegram on Tuesday, apparently referring to the attack.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry posted a video on X claiming to show the moment the ship was hit by a drone.
Private security company Ambrey said the attack took place in the Crimean port of Feodosia, which Russia annexed in 2014. Ambrey said it had seen video taken by a crew member on board a commercial ship at the port showing Sergei Kotov Fire at the drone.
The ship, which reportedly can carry cruise missiles and a crew of about 60, was attacked at least twice, the second causing a huge explosion, Ambrey said.
Russian authorities did not confirm the claim, but some Russian pro-war bloggers said the attack did take place.
Keir Giles, senior adviser to the Russia and Eurasia Program at Chatham House I The latest attack in Ukraine is one of many successes against the Black Sea Fleet in the past weeks and months, and is much more than a “symbolic step.”
“The fact that Ukraine has so effectively regained sea control, at least in the western part of the Black Sea, is not only a symbolic step but a major impetus for Ukraine to continue to function as a state,” he said.
“Ukraine [is] “It is now often described as a country without a navy that defeated the supposedly all-powerful Russian fleet,” he said, adding that “Russia had to withdraw its warships to bases on Russian territory.” Victory in the air and sea.
He noted that Russia had the option in the past to move the Black Sea Fleet to its own territory but later decided not to do so so that Moscow could “continue to exert control and influence over Ukraine.” “This is a direct manifestation of Russia’s colonial ambitions,” he said.
The Ukrainian military said last month it used a naval drone to destroy a Russian boarding warship that breached the ship’s port side and caused it to sink during an operation near Crimea.
Even before Russia launched its land, air and sea invasion of its smaller neighbor in February 2022, the Russian Black Sea Fleet “threatened to completely disrupt” Ukraine’s trade with the rest of the world and therefore “posed a significant threat to Ukraine’s statehood “.
However, Mr Giles urged caution. He said Western support remained crucial to Ukraine’s ability to defeat Russia, which blamed reduced international aid for its recent territorial expansion.
“The continued obstruction by U.S. politicians of vital lifelines of aid and military support to Ukraine may determine the future of the conflict more directly than the destruction of the Russian navy and air force,” he said.
Noting Ukraine’s victories in the air and at sea, he said, “If Ukraine’s partners, supporters and the countries that Ukraine protects at the cost of their own blood do not do enough to ensure that Kyiv can win, these will It’s useless”.
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