Ukraine has declared a historic maritime battle achievement, indicating that it has accurately attacked and damaged a Russian Kilo-class submarine with the assistance of an underwater drone at the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk. This would mark the first successful attack on a submarine of this type by an underwater drone in history.
The Ukrainian national security agency, known as Security Service of Ukraine or SBU, asserted Monday that its troops severely damaged a Russian Project 636.3 “Varshavyanka” submarine of “Kilo-class” design while it was in its home port at Novorossiysk. The latter has turned out to be a major base of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, which compelled to relocate ships away from Crimea due to Ukrainian bombardments.
“What Ukraine says” refers to a
The attack conducted by an underwater drone called “Sea Baby,” which was part of the development of the Ukrainian naval drone fleet, according to the SBU. The explosion, the agency said, left the submarine damaged and put it out of service.
“The submarine had on board four launchers of Kalibr cruise missiles, which the enemy uses to attack targets in the territory of Ukraine,” the SBU noted. The submarine rendered unusable as a result.
A Ukrainian news outlet, UNN, reported that this exercise also conducted jointly by SBU’s 13th Main Directorate of Military Counterintelligence and the Ukrainian Navy. SBU has also released video footage of this blast, but this has not yet been confirmed. There has been no official comment from Russia’s Defense Ministry over this incident.
Military bloggers from Russia confirmed the attack near the pier. Downplaying the attack, despite being called a serious security breach.
Why the strike is important
Ukrainian officials assert that the operation marks a turning point in the maritime conflict with Russia. “Submarines are some of the most hard-to-reach military assets to attack, particularly when they are situated at a protected naval base.”
“Once again, this day destroys the perception of what might be possible in naval warfare in the ongoing war,” said Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson of the Ukrainian Navy in a statement to the news service Reuters. Pletenchuk noted that any repairs that might be necessarily be conducted above the water, putting the submarine in harm’s way.
“Russia has actually lost one of the four submarines that it stationed in Novorossiysk. Three of them have the ability to launch Kalibr missiles. Kalibr missiles have been very important for Russian long-range attacks against cities in Ukraine,” Pletenchuk said.
Apart from the financial consequences, experts state that the strike casts doubt on the assumption made by the Russians regarding Novorossiysk being a secure alternative to their Crimean port of Sevastopol. Thus, if Ukraine manages to communicate with their submarines in Novorossiysk, then no Black Sea port can ever claim to
Ukrainian Navy increases attacks involving sea drones
“The attack on the Russian submarine is part of a larger Ukrainian strategy against Russian sea assets and energy infrastructure,” said a military expert. “There have been a number of UAV attacks against warships, ports, oil infrastructure, and what Russia calls their ‘shadow fleet’ of tanker ships designed to work around sanctions.”
Last month, Ukrainian naval drones attacked two sanctioned oil tankers, off the coast of Turkey. Ukraine has also attacked Russia’s energy infrastructure, which is not located near the front lines, showing Ukraine’s growing ability to conduct deep strikes.
Leverage during Diplomacy
The escalation comes as diplomatic efforts continue. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that these military operations improve the capital’s position in negotiations.
“Our capability to strike back, to defend ourselves, and to recover from attacks is our leverage in negotiations,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said to a news outlet.
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What remains unclear
There has been little independent verification of the extent of the damag. Russia has neither confirmed nor denied the attack. However, whatever reports emerge out of Russia regarding near misses would certainly indicate a serious violation of its port security. This is particularly important for Ukraine because the operation re-emphasizes the overarching theme of the conflict that cheap drones are effective at regarding high-value targets that are redefining the future of naval warfare above and below the waterline.
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