Video: Ukraine Damages Russian Spy Ship with Long-Distance Drone Attack

 

The Intelligence Ministry for the Defense of Ukraine is reporting that its special forces carried off another long-distance raid, this time successfully damaging a Russian multipurpose vessel operating in the eastern portion of the Black Sea. The video shows a drone attack that centered in on the vessel’s antennas and electronic equipment.

The vessel was reported to be operating in Novorossiyska Bay in the eastern Black Sea, and the current home of the Black Sea fleet. Media reports highlight that it is over 400 km (approximately 250 miles) from the front lines in the war. If the drone took a flight path avoiding Crimea, it likely traveled over 600 km (more than 370 miles) to reach its target.

Ukraine reports the vessel, which was built in 2015, was designed for seabed inspections with diving systems, ROVs, and side-scan sonar. It was also being used as a base for electronic intelligence equipment. At the time of the attack, Ukraine says it was operating radio surveillance equipment and patrolling the bay.

The report states that the electronic intelligence systems were destroyed and the vessel disabled. Ukraine put the value of the vessel at more than $60 million.

 

 

According to the media reports, the identity of the vessel was still being determined, although it is likely the Spasatel Demidov, based on the description. Ukraine says that it believes multiple ships of the class are deployed in the region. It said there are four ships in the Project MPSV07 class, although data shows that five have been commissioned and a sixth is under construction. The ships are approximately 2,500 gross tons and 240 feet (73 meters) in length. 

This attack comes as Russia has intensified its drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, and the Ukrainians responded by stepping up their assaults in the Black Sea region. They recently claimed to have damaged two radar stations in Crimea and a harbor tug in Sevastopol. Last month, Ukraine claimed to have damaged a missile boat in the Sea of Azov in another daring long-distance maritime strike.  

The media writes that Ukraine has either destroyed or disabled a third of the Russian Black Sea fleet since the start of the war. Russia also redeployed many of the vessels to the Novorossiysk Bay region to place them further from Ukraine.