Ukraine claims a naval victory over Russia, in the vicinity of annexed Crimea. According to kyiv, Ukrainian forces managed to sink a Russian warship using kamikaze naval drones. Moscow has not confirmed the loss of its missile launcher, but a video is circulating.
A video to prove the reality of the attack. During the day of February 1, Ukrainian intelligence broadcast the images of a naval operation which took place in the Black Sea, not far from Russian-occupied Crimea. The target of the Ukrainian army? A warship that was near the west coast of the peninsula.
The General Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry says the target was the sunken Tarantul-class missile corvette Ivanovets. The video shows what appears to be several unmanned boats sliding across the water towards the boat, escaping what appears to be return fire.
Kamikaze naval drones already in use
Explosions, sometimes spectacular, are also visible. At the end, we see the ship list, before ending up in a vertical position – it was then sinking, according to Ukrainian forces. For its part, Moscow has not yet reacted to kyiv's assertions. Officially, no losses have been reported so far.
For the time being, the loss of Ivanovets could not be verified with an independent source. Due to the still ongoing military conflict between the two parties, each communication from the belligerents must be considered with caution. However, there is evidence that Ukraine has already managed to damage or sink Russian ships.
The use of kamikaze naval drones was not mentioned in the Russian intelligence reaction, but accounts on X (formerly Twitter) have evoked their role. This military use has already been observed on several occasions, in 2022 as in 2023. Regularly, videos and photos are communicated to give weight to the announcements.
“ As a result of a series of direct hits to the hull, the Russian ship suffered damage incompatible with further movement – the Ivanivets tilted over the stern and sank », Write the intelligence services. The value of the ship is estimated at $60 to $70 million.
A Tarantul-class ship is manned by 44 sailors — it is unknown if there were any casualties, and how many. As its main armament, it carries four P-270 Moskit supersonic cruise missiles – an armament deployed since the 1980s – with an estimated range of up to 250 km. The Tarantul class debuted in the late 1970s.
On the Ukrainian side, some indications on this attack are given: the assault would have taken place on the night of January 31 to February 1, and carried out by soldiers from the special unit of group 13 of the defense intelligence services. At the time of the confrontation, the boat was at Lake Donuzlav.
This success claimed by the Ukrainian army, if proven, further demonstrates kyiv's capacity to carry out operations in depth. The front is in fact more than 150 km from the location where the naval battle took place.
Kiev's current efforts in the Black Sea consist of pushing Russian ships as far away as possible, in order on the one hand to ease the threat on the Ukrainian coasts, and on the other hand to secure a naval corridor to circulate cargo ships loaded with cereals. Additionally, this provides longer-term options for retaking Crimea.
