Kiev says Ukrainian drone sank another Russian warship

(CNN) — Ukraine’s military claimed responsibility for another successful attack on a Russian warship on Tuesday, the latest in a series of naval defeats for Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet, which Kiev says is its lowest since the beginning of the war. Has reduced by more than one third.

Ukraine’s defense intelligence said maritime drones operated by its special unit Group 13 attacked and sank the 1,300-ton Russian patrol vessel Sergei Kotov in the Black Sea near the Kerch Strait, which borders occupied Crimea off southwestern Ukraine. Separates from the coast.

The 1,300-tonne Russian patrol vessel Sergei Kotov caught fire. (Ukrainian Defense Intelligence)

“As a result of the attack by the Magura V5 maritime drone, the Russian ship Project 22160 ‘Sergei Kotov’ suffered damage to the stern, starboard and port sides, which led to a fire on board,” according to a statement. The military later confirmed that the ship had sunk.

He said the mission was carried out in cooperation with the Ukrainian Navy and with the support of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence representative Andrey Yusov said in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that Sergei Kotov had been attacked before, but “this time (…) it has been safely destroyed.” “

Ukraine’s maritime drones have, particularly in recent months, heavily attacked Russian naval vessels, and its Black Sea campaign has been a rare strategic success for Kiev compared to recent battlefield setbacks.

In mid-February, the Russian ship Caesar Kunikov was attacked with the same drones that were used against Sergei Kotov. The Ukrainian military intelligence agency said on Telegram that the drone made “significant holes” in the left side of the Russian ship before sinking it.

In early February, Ukraine claimed that its forces had disabled about 33% of Russian warships, disabling 24 ships and one submarine. Russia’s worst naval loss in the war was the sinking of the guided missile cruiser Moskva in April 2022.

Sergei Kotov was one of Russia’s newest ships in the Black Sea Fleet. A report by Russian state news agency TASS on January 21, 2021, said the ship floated for the first time that day and would soon join the Black Sea Fleet.

The 91-meter-long warship had a range of 6,000 nautical miles, could carry a crew of 80 and was equipped with a helicopter, a 57-mm gun and a modern air defense system, the TASS report said. Ukraine said it was worth $65 million.