Several Russian vessels, including a flagship, positioned in the port of Sevastopol in Crimea, were hit by Ukrainian maritime drones. These machines are still unheard of in naval battles.
The Russian Navy is far from secure. Its fleet in the Black Sea was attacked by Ukrainian drones on October 29, 2022: eight air and seven maritime aircraft. If kamikaze models are not new in this war, the use of machines operating on water is unprecedented. These drones are all the more mysterious as no one can really identify them. A few leads are considered from the images collected.
First, videos of the October 29 attack were posted on social media. The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that a few ships suffered ” minor damage “. However, the images published by a Ukrainian journalist, Andriy Tsaplienko, show that the flagship Makarov was directly damaged by a kamikaze drone.
The Ukrainian devices also hit the mine warfare vessel, Ivan Golubets, information confirmed on October 30 on the Telegram channel of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The Kremlin had waited a few days to confirm the sinking of the previous Moskva flagship, hit by a Neptune missile from the Ukrainian army. The extent of the damage cannot be determined at this time.
This attack directed directly against the ships positioned in the port of Sevastopol keeps the Russian Navy in a state of anxiety. Since the loss of the Moskva, the Kremlin has positioned its frigates far from the coasts defended by the Ukrainians. The kamikaze devices used by Ukraine endanger Russian vessels when they are used in large numbers: a vessel of this size is first equipped with guns and missiles. The crew can hardly fight against a swarm of drones launched from several positions.
Canadian components
The machines in question would be of Ukrainian manufacture and designed from components from several countries. A failed model in Crimea has raised a lot of questions, but no military expert has been able to identify it. Thanks to the videos, we know that it is the same type of device that was used during the attack of October 29. Image analysis by HI Sutton of US Naval Institute News indicates that the engine driving the craft is believed to be from Canadian manufacturer Sea-Doo.
The Kremlin said in a statement that according to its analysis, the drones were equipped with Canadian navigation modules and were launched from the coast near Odessa.
Moscow also accuses “British specialists” of having helped Ukraine in this attack. Russian sources also say a large, long-endurance US RQ-4B Global Hawk surveillance drone likely carried out pre-strike reconnaissance for Ukraine that morning.
The agreement on the transport of cereals suspended by the Russians
Moscow uses this attack to close the maritime grain transport corridor. Russian authorities believe that Ukrainian drones took this route to attack Sevastopol. However, the axis in question is more than 200 km from the port. The agreement was already fragile, since the Russians hit the port of Odessa, from where the cargo ships leave, with missiles the day after it was signed.
Twelve cargo ships have left Ukrainian ports according to the Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine. ” UN and Turkish delegations provide ten teams to inspect 40 vessels aiming to carry out the Black Sea Grain Initiative », precise Minister Olexandr Kubrakov on Twitter adding: “ This inspection plan was accepted by the Ukrainian delegation. The Russian delegation was informed “.
For his part, the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, assured that his country was “ determined to continue its efforts and defending the Ukrainian grain deal, ” despite Russian hesitation “.
