The attack took place in the dark of the night. Ukrainian drones were rapidly approaching over the water.
When the crew of the Russian patrol ship "Sergei Kotov" saw them, it was already too late. Russian sailors opened fire with heavy machine guns, but their ship was hit and destroyed.
Ukrainian naval drones have revolutionized naval warfare over the past few years, relentlessly pursuing Russian ships on the high seas and even at naval bases.
Last week's attack on "Sergei Kotov" involved Group-13, a secret unit of Ukraine's military intelligence, and the BBC gained rare access to its operations.
According to the unit, which was created last year, it sank five Russian vessels and damaged several others. But his commander, who asked to be called the Thirteenth, says that "Sergei Kotov" was currently the most difficult target.
Group-13 attacked the ship twice and damaged it, but managed to sink it only on the third attempt.
PHOTO AUTHOR, GUR OF UKRAINE
Commander Thirteenth invited us to a seemingly quiet corner of the Ukrainian Black Sea coast to show one of the unit's naval drones in action.
The Magura V5, named after the Slavic goddess of war, looks like a small motorboat with a flat surface instead of passenger seats.
"It doesn't give off much heat, so it's almost invisible to thermal imaging cameras. It is made of plastic, so it is difficult even for radars to see it," says Trinaťyty.
The declared range of the drone, which was produced by the Ukrainian armed forces, is 800 km, so it can easily reach the Crimean peninsula and even the coast of Russia. It can carry 250 kg of payload – enough to sink a warship.
The remote control of the boat resembles one of those "nuclear briefcases" used by world leaders in Hollywood movies to authorize the use of nuclear weapons. It even has a red toggle switch for "manual detonation," Thirteenth explains.
The drone is controlled from the base via satellite communication.
"You can manage from any part of the world if you have the Internet," says Thirteenth. The Magura V5 also has backup connections in case the main one fails, he adds.
He admits that Russian electronic warfare systems can jam the signal, but says that drones are capable of combating this. How exactly - he did not explain.
When the Magura drone attacks a Russian ship, it can reach speeds of up to 80 km/h, according to the developers. Due to its speed and size (6 m long), it is difficult to spot, especially among the waves at night.
Last week, the crew of "Sergei Kotov" was convinced of this by their own experience.
Under bullets
Soldiers on Russian ships are trying to use large-caliber machine guns to destroy drones approaching them. But they are hard to hit because they are so small and maneuverable.
The use of special tracer ammunition, which glows when fired, helps the Russian military fire at night. However, these projectiles also help Ukrainian drone operators dodge bullets.
"They show us where they are firing from, where they are hitting and in which direction we should move to maneuver," says Thirteenth.
Judging by footage of past attacks, multiple drones are usually involved in a single attack to increase the chances of hitting a target.
Warship hunting operations can last for days. Operators must remain focused at all times.
"After finishing work, I'm as exhausted as a squeezed lemon," Thirteenth sneers.
Ukrainian military intelligence does not disclose the cost of its drones. However, the Thirteenth claims that the Russian missile boat Ivanovets, destroyed by Group-13 last month, cost Russia more than all the drones produced by GUR since the beginning of 2023.
The vulnerability of the Russian fleet
Ukraine's success with naval drones in this war dates back to the attack on the Admiral Makarov flagship in 2022. This operation was carried out by the SBU special service, which also produces its own Sea Baby and Mamay drones.
Last year, it also carried out drone attacks on the Kerch Bridge, which connects occupied Crimea with Russia, and the port of Novorossiysk in Russia.
After the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, Ukraine lost almost its entire navy. Her only remaining frigate, the Hetman Sahaidachnyi, was specially sunk just days after the full-scale invasion in February 2022. It was in poor technical condition.
PHOTO AUTHOR, MAX DELANY/AFP Photo Caption: "Admiral Makarov"
However, Ukraine managed to resist Russia's attempts to dominate the Black Sea.
In 2022, Ukraine sank the Russian flagship "Moscow" with the help of its "Neptune" missiles. It also hit a submarine and Russian naval headquarters in Sevastopol, reportedly with long-range Storm Shadow missiles.
Russia has lost five of its approximately 13 amphibious assault ships in the Black Sea. Two of the four smaller patrol warships were also destroyed or damaged.
However, it is naval drones that have made Russia's Black Sea Fleet particularly vulnerable. Under relentless attacks, Moscow was forced to withdraw the core of its fleet from Crimea and transfer it further east, to Novorossiysk. And even there, Russian ships remain within the range of Ukrainian drones.
Because of this, Russian vessels stay away from the Ukrainian coast and limit their time in the open sea. Launches of Kalibr cruise missiles from ships in the Black Sea now occur much less often, says the spokesman of the Ukrainian Navy, Dmytro Pletenchuk.
The last confirmed launch was in mid-February, and "before that there were no cruise missile launches from the sea for several months," he says.
It is believed that 10 Russian missile carriers, including three submarines, remain in the Black Sea. Almost all of them are now stationed in Novorossiysk.
