- Ukrainian forces have used exploding drone boats to sink a Russian warship, the Ivanovets, near Crimea, dealing a blow to Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet.
- The attack highlights the vulnerability of Russian warships operating in the Black Sea and may force them to reconsider their maneuverability near Western Crimea.
- Despite these attacks, Western intelligence suggests that Russia still maintains the ability to conduct naval operations in the Black Sea, but Ukrainian strikes have caused the Russian Navy to relocate some activities and assets.
Additional Coverage:
- Despite losing another warship to a country without much of a navy, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is still in the fight, Western intel says (businessinsider.com)
Footage has emerged showing a Ukrainian drone boat attacking a Russian warship called the Ivanovets. Ukrainian forces claim to have used exploding drone boats to sink the Russian missile corvette near Crimea, marking the latest blow to Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet. However, despite these attacks, Western intelligence suggests that Russia still maintains the ability to conduct naval operations in the Black Sea.
The Ivanovets was tasked with patrolling Crimea’s western coast and providing support for Russia’s war efforts. It shared targeting data with other ships, helicopters, and patrol aircraft. The Ukrainian attack on this ship highlights the vulnerability of Russian warships operating in the Black Sea and may force them to re-evaluate their maneuverability near Western Crimea.
In the past, Ukraine’s attacks have already forced Russia to relocate some of its Black Sea Fleet activities and assets from Sevastopol to Novorossiysk. The latest attack adds to Moscow’s naval headaches, as its ships have been targeted before. Despite this, the Russian Navy is still able to conduct its main tasks in the Black Sea, including long-range strike, patrol, and support.
The Ukrainian military has relied on Western-provided long-range cruise missiles and homemade drone boats to damage Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and target Moscow’s ground assets and facilities around Crimea. The increase in Ukrainian attacks began after Moscow announced plans to militarize the Black Sea and escalated strikes on Kyiv’s ports and food storage facilities.
UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps has previously stated that a fifth of the Russian fleet had already been destroyed by late December. Ukrainian officials also confirmed this, and the situation seems to have worsened for the Russians since then. Ukraine’s defense ministry claims to have destroyed or damaged 24 Russian vessels and one submarine since the start of the invasion, amounting to a third of Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet.
Despite the ongoing conflict, Ukraine remains firm in its stance that there is no place for the Russian fleet in Ukrainian Crimea.