(Patriot.Buzz) – In a striking demonstration of might amid a fierce war, the Ukrainian military released a video showing how their sea drones challenged and ultimately defeated a Russian missile corvette near Crimea’s shores.
Watch the video below.
Ukraine’s defense intelligence group, GUR, announced, “Warriors of the special unit ‘Group 13’ of the @DI_Ukraine destroyed the missile corvette ‘Ivanovets’ of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.”
The group also detailed that the Russian seacraft was valued between $60 to $70 million and suffered critical damage from direct hits, which eventually forced it to tip backward and sink.
The video captures the moment drones struck the ship and caused massive explosions that illuminated the night. By the clip’s end, the vessel is seen tilting with its front end pointing skyward as the waves swallow it.
Although Russian forces have not officially acknowledged the loss the BBC reported that a well-known Russian military blogger confirmed on social media that the vessel went down after being struck three times.
According to The Telegraph, the operation occurred in Lake Donuzlav, a saltwater bay within Crimea that hosts Russia’s Southern Naval Base. This is not the first significant loss for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet at Ukrainian hands. It notably lost the Moskva, which was the fleet’s flagship.
The U.K.’s Defense Ministry pointed out that Ukraine’s use of sea drones has shifted the Black Sea’s strategic balance. These drones have forced Russian naval forces to pull back and establish a new base far from the usual conflict zones to dodge further Ukrainian strikes.
“Ukraine has achieved this because it has largely prevented the Russian Black Sea Fleet from operating in the western Black Sea, where it is held at risk by Ukrainian missiles and uncrewed surface vessels,” the UK Defense Ministry observed.
Earlier today, off the coast of Crimea, Ukrainian forces successfully attacked and sunk the Russian Navy’s Project 12411 Tarantul-III class corvette Ivanovets.
Multiple Ukrainian USVs scored hits, causing catastrophic damage. pic.twitter.com/8v026SpM0d
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) February 1, 2024
