Video: Ukraine Destroys Two Russian Navy Patrol Vessels
The Ukrainian military claims that it has destroyed two Raptor-class Russian patrol boats near Snake Island, an outpost captured by Russian forces in the early days of the invasion. A follow-up strike destroyed Russian air-defense emplacements on the island, according to Ukrainian forces.
An edited video of the attack was released by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, and it suggests that the strikes were carried out by a Bayraktar TB2 drone. The Turkish-made TB2 has played a prominent role in the conflict, operating at night to strike Russian equipment and even - allegedly - to attack infrastructure targets inside Russia's borders.
The attack near Snake Island is the latest in a series of successful Ukrainian strikes on the Russian Navy. Though Ukraine has effectively lost its small naval fleet and is heavily outgunned, its units have damaged one other Raptor patrol boat; destroyed one Alligator-class landing ship; damaged two other tank landing ships; and sunk the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, the cruiser Moskva.
#Ukraine: We obtained video that shows that the Azov claim of a Russian Project 03160 "Raptor" patrol boat being struck near #Mariupol is accurate, with 2x 9M113 ATGM being fired, 1 successful hit.
— ???????? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) March 22, 2022
According to Ru sources, the boat was put out of action and had to be towed away. pic.twitter.com/irgYo97IAJ
The Project 03160 Raptor is a fast patrol boat with a top speed of 48 knots, powered by two American-built diesels and two British-made waterjet drives. It is lightly armed, carrying just three machine guns. Its main functions are for border patrol, port security, small-craft interdiction, and special forces landing operations.