Ukrainians report another success of a special naval operation. The Ukrainian Military Intelligence Service (GUR) wrote on the Telegram social network that two small Serna-class amphibious assault ships belonging to the Russian Black Sea Fleet struck near the occupied Crimea peninsula.
“The video shows a surface drone loaded with explosives attacking an enemy ship,” GUR claims. Allegedly, the ships also had a crew and loaded armored equipment.
According to intelligence, Russia actively used small Serna-class amphibious boats, for example, during the occupation of Snake Island, a place important for traffic control in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, or for transporting military equipment and airborne troops.
The credibility of the Ukrainian claims or footage cannot be independently verified at the moment. Moscow has not yet commented on reports of the attack. The Russian Ministry of Defense only announced that it had managed to shoot down two drones over Crimea.
If the Ukrainian claims are confirmed, it would be the second attack against the Black Sea Fleet in the past week. The Ukrainian army already reported on Saturday, November 4, about a “successful strike” on the Zaliv shipyard in the Kerch Strait, saying that the “most modern Russian ships” were in the port at the time. On Monday, Kyiv added that its forces had caused “heavy” damage to the Russian Askold corvette, which may never be repaired (more on the attack).
News from the battlefield
The Russians came up with another use of drones in attacks on Ukrainian positions. In addition, defensive front lines are much more often tested without the widespread tactics of large-scale mechanized attacks.
The Ukrainska Pravda server also reported on the attack on Russian ships, which located it near the village of Chornomorsk. In the village itself, someone allegedly attacked the local barracks.
The Russian Telegram channel Baza reported that there was also an attack on an oil tank in Feodosia, which was repelled. The credibility of the claim cannot be independently verified at this time.
More detailed information about the technique used in the attack is not known. The Ukrainians may have used the same type of surface drone discussed in previous attacks. The vessel, which is about the size of a kayak, is difficult to pick up on radar precisely because of its size. Exact specifications are not available (more here).
The latest versions of the drone have a maximum weight of 1,000 kilograms, a maximum explosive load of 300 kilograms, a range of 800 kilometers and a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour, according to an August report by the American CNN station.
Tags: Video Naval drones damaged Russian amphibious ships Kiev claims
