A Magura naval drone operated by Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) destroyed a Russian KS-701 Tunets (Tuna) patrol boat and damaged three more Russian watercraft in occupied Crimea, HUR reported on Aug. 10.
Key developments on July 18: * Ukrainian aerial, naval drones attack Russian base in Crimea, source says * Ukraine confirms withdrawal from Urozhaine in Donetsk Oblast * Ukraine signs long-term security deals with Czechia, Slovenia * Zelensky warns European leaders that Putin may use blackmail to undermine unity The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU)
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Ukrainian Armed Forces were responsible for a drone attack that successfully targeted a Russian coastal defense base in Crimea overnight, a source in the intelligence services told the Kyiv Independent on July 18.
The port city of Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea came under attack by a naval drone, Russian occupation authorities claimed early on July 18.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its forces destroyed two Ukrainian naval drones heading in Novorossiysk's direction.
HUR initially reported only two boats had been hit during the attack in Vuzka Bay, which lies at the Chornomorske town on Crimea's western coast.
The Stalker 5.0 drone can reportedly accelerate up to 75 km/h and has a cruise speed of 55 km/h. It has an estimated price tag of around 60,000 euros ($64,000).
Naval drones operated by Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) hit two Russian patrol boats, likely of the KS-701 Tunets model, in occupied Crimea overnight on May 30, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent.
Naval drones used by the SBU have hit several Russian warships but until now have been kamikaze drones that explode on impact or in the near vicinity of a target.
Russian forces have encountered a new enemy in the Black Sea: Ukraine’s arsenal of naval kamikaze drones. These deceptively small unmanned vehicles have targeted Russia’s Black Sea Fleet since September 2022, picking off Russian battleships one by one. The latest of Ukraine’s maritime conquests was the Russian
Andriy Yusov said Russia has been taking steps to counter the attacks including trying to hide ships and build protective barriers, but said HUR was "finding new ways to show that HUR and Magura work extremely efficiently."
Ukrainian naval drones Sea Baby have been modernized and can now carry almost a ton of explosives to hit a target over 1,000 kilometers away, Artem Dekhtiarenko, the spokesperson of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), said on April 14.
