Seven individuals were slain and six more were injured, according to Ukrainian intelligence, when a Russian patrol ship was struck and sunk by a sea drone attack.
It has been reported that Sergei Kotov was struck during the wee hours of Tuesday morning.
According to the Ukrainian military intelligence service, the Black Sea fleet vessel sustained right and left side damage in addition to damage to its aft.
Until the Kremlin issues a statement, the sinking of the Sergei Kotov has been corroborated by several Russian bloggers.
The Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) stated in a Telegram message that fifty-two crew members had been evacuated.
The Sergei Kotov is one of four patrol ships constructed for Project 22160 of the Russian Navy. Ukraine had assaulted the location in September of the previous year.
Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy, stated, “This vessel is currently submerged,” adding that a helicopter might have been aboard.
Without mentioning the shipwreck specifically, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine had “proven what we are capable of” against the Russian navy and air force.
“There are no safe havens in the Black Sea for Russian terrorists, and never will be,” he stated on Tuesday in his nightly video address.
As per Ukraine’s account, the vessel, in conjunction with the Moskva cruiser, participated in the assault on Snake Island on the initial day of the comprehensive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Ukrainian Navy sank the Moskva in 2022.
Crimea was forcibly annexed by Russia from Ukraine nearly a decade ago. Ukraine has engaged Russia’s Black Sea fleet stationed on the peninsula on multiple occasions in recent months.
Ukraine estimated that the sunken Sergei Kotov ship cost $65 million (£51.2 million), adding that it capsized in the vicinity of the Kerch Strait, which divides Crimea and Russia.
It appears that a social media video captured the instant the ship was struck.
According to the video, which was shared by British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, “the Black Sea is no place for Putin’s Navy.”
“Up until recently, such a notion was inconceivable.” “It is now indisputable due to the Western-backed Ukraine,” he articulated.
Once believed impossible victories can be unlocked by the valour and skill of the Ukrainian Armed Forces if we provide them with what they require.
The vessel’s structural characteristics are comparable to those of a patrol vessel of Sergei Kotov’s class. However, due to the absence of a number on its exterior, it is unclear from the footage whether or not this is the same vessel.
The absence of alternative iterations of the video in reverse image queries indicates that it was most recently uploaded.
Additionally, HUR released a putative recording of the commander of the 184th Brigade of the Russian Navy, who was in charge of Sergei Kotov, stating that five drones had attacked the vessel.
Considerably more than thirteen Russian naval vessels have been damaged or destroyed since the conflict began, according to the think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies.
The Caesar Kunikov, an additional Russian vessel, was capsized by a drone strike just south of the city of Yalta a month ago.
“Take a step towards financial freedom – claim your free Webull shares now!”
The Ukraine’s intelligence agency at the time published a video purporting to show Caesar Kunikov being struck by Magura V5 sea drones.
Tuesday, Ukraine asserted responsibility for a drone assault on an oil depot situated in the Belgorod region, which is bordered by Russia.
Additionally, Kyiv reported that Ukrainian air defences had shot down 18 of 22 Iranian-designed attack drones that Russia had launched over the Black Sea port city of Odesa.
