It would seem that the Russians have no answer for MAGURA V5s sea drones, as they keep losing their warships to them, no matter how far away from Ukraine they put them. This one was near the Kerch bridge, between Crimea and Russia. Ukraine simply attacks their large ships with a pack of sea drones working as a team, like orcas attacking a whale.
Source: Kyiv Post
Ukrainian naval drones from the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) of the Ministry of Defense on Tuesday morning sank one of the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s patrol ships in another blow to Kremlin naval power in the region, as disclosed by a source in the HUR to Kyiv Post.
The explosives, remotely controlled by operators from HUR, struck the vessel while it was patrolling in a Kerch strait.
According to the source, Ukrainian naval drones, specifically MAGURA V5s, were deployed during the operation. The source declined to disclose the exact number of drones used in the operation.
“As a result of a strike by Magura V5 maritime drones, the Russian ship Project 22160 Sergey Kotov sustained damage to the stern, starboard and port sides,” Ukraine's Intelligence agency wrote on Telegram in an official confirmation of the attack.
The message added that the ship was worth about $65 million.
Others have mentioned that as equipped it was more likely a loss of $100 million as it had been outfitted with Kalibr missiles. Each missile alone is from $1-6.5 mil dollars, and the Russians use them to target cities and civilians. A Ka-29 attack helicopter was also said to be onboard as well as other advanced weaponry and radar systems supposed to have given the ship stealth capabilities. I guess not.
X (formerly Twitter) user "Ukrainian Front," a Ukrainian military blogger, said that the Sergey Kotov was commissioned into the Russian Black Sea Fleet on July 30, 2022, months after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"So it is the newest of the ships affected during the war. The ship cost the Russian budget 100 million dollars. Caliber missiles and other weapons could be installed on board," the blogger said.
"Ukraine's naval drones hit Russia's patrol boat 'Sergey Kotov' at the Kerch bridge. 'Sergey Kotov' was built in 2021," wrote Sergej Sumlenny, founder of the German think tank, the European Resilience Initiative Center, on X.
There are no reports of survival yet for any of the 80-man crew.
As always, Ukraine releases their videos with a soundtrack.
And from another ship, a view of the explosions.
As one Russian mil blogger put it, if this keeps up there will be no Russian Black Sea Fleet, it "will consist of only catamarans and rubber bananas for vacationers. F**k."
General Budanov of military intelligence with a rare smile.
