In a conversation allegedly intercepted by Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR), a Russian commander claimed that the Russian Sergey Kotov patrol ship, reportedly destroyed near occupied Crimea on March 5, had a helicopter on board.
The military intelligence agency confirmed earlier today that the Project 22160 patrol ship was destroyed in the Kerch Strait after being hit by Ukrainian Magura V5 naval drones. The Russian Defense Ministry is yet to comment on the incident.
Later the same day, the military intelligence agency published an intercepted call in which the alleged Russian commander of the 184th Water District Protection Brigade in Novorossiysk claimed that the vessel was attacked by five unmanned naval vehicles.
"There was a helicopter (on board), a ship with weapons, AK-176 (naval gun)," the audio said.
Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing unnamed sources, that a Russian Ka-29 transport and combat helicopter was destroyed along with the patrol ship.
Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk also said on national television that there might have been a helicopter on board, adding that the data on losses is being clarified.
Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) spokesperson Andrii Yusov said that "there are killed and wounded, but there is a possibility that some of the crew managed to evacuate."
Russian forces were also planning to place an anti-aircraft missile system on the Sergey Kotov patrol vessel, according to Yusov.
Sergey Kotov is one of a number of Russian ships reported to have been damaged by Ukrainian forces. On Feb. 14, the Russian Ropucha-class landing ship Caesar Kunikov was sunk in the Black Sea after being attacked by Ukrainian naval drones.
Ukraine has repeatedly struck Russia's Black Sea Fleet since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, including the sinking of the flagship cruiser Moskva in April 2022 and a devastating missile attack on the fleet's headquarters in occupied Crimea that reportedly killed more than 30 officers.
