Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency said a special forces unit called Group 13 used a Magura V5 maritime drone to attack the Sergey Kotov near the Kerch Strait, which connects the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea. It said the ship suffered damage to its stern, starboard and port sides, with an estimated cost of $65 million.
Television footage shows an explosion on board what Ukrainian military intelligence said was the Russian Black Sea Fleet patrol ship Sergey Kotov that was attacked by a Ukrainian drone off the coast of Crimea on March 5, 2024. Photo: Ukrainian Defense Ministry
“The ship is now on the seabed due to an attack by a drone and a fire,” said navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk. Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for the GUR, said a helicopter was on board.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not directly mention the sinking in his nightly video address. However, he said Ukraine had "proved what we are capable of, what our strength can do."
The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on the incident. However, several Russian military bloggers have spoken about the attack. The VChK-OGPU Telegram channel reported that there were attempts to tow the ship into port but said it eventually sank.
A Magura V5 marine drone. Photo: GI
Ukraine has stepped up attacks in the Black Sea and Crimea in recent months. Kiev has reported a series of attacks, including the sinking of a large landing ship by a naval drone in mid-February.
Pletenchuk said the Sergey Kotov was also attacked in September 2023 and a similar patrol boat had been damaged in previous Ukrainian attacks. “Russia has four similar ships, two of which are no longer operational,” he said.
Officials in Crimea said rail and road traffic was temporarily halted and then resumed on the bridge that spans the Kerch Strait and connects the Crimean peninsula to mainland Russia.
Hoang Anh (according to Reuters)
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