On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, Ukraine claimed to have destroyed a Russian warship.
It marked a further blow to Moscow’s naval power and its control over the Black Sea despite Ukrainian losses elsewhere.
The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine disclosed that maritime drones operated by its Group 13 special unit struck the 1,300-ton Russian patrol ship; Sergei Kotov in the Black Sea, near the Kerch Strait that separates occupied Crimea from the coast of southwest Russia.
It added that the mission was conducted in cooperation with the Ukrainian Navy and with the support of Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation.
Military Spokesman, Andriy Yusov said that the Sergei Kotov, a “Project 22160” class Russian patrol boat, had been damaged by a previous Ukrainian attack, likely in September 2023, but was destroyed overnight by “Magura V5” naval drones.
Ukrainian military intelligence announced that the vessel had suffered “damage to the stern, starboard and port sides” in the Kerch Strait, the narrow waterway that separates Crimea from the Russian mainland peninsula of Taman, and links the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov.
“As for the crew, the details are being clarified,” Yusov told Ukrainian media.
“There are dead and wounded. But it is likely that some of the crew managed to evacuate,” he added.
There was no immediate response from Russia and the reports could not be independently verified.
The defence ministry tweeted that the Sergei Kotov, launched in 2021, had become “a submarine.”
It had “joined the Moskva”, the fleet’s powerful flagship, which was sunk in April 2022, at the beginning of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion.
“Historic humiliation of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet continues,” tweeted Illia Ponomarenko, the former defence correspondent for a Ukrainian newspaper.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said that Russia’s Black Sea fleet is “a symbol of the occupation,” adding that, “it cannot be in Ukraine’s Crimea.”
Despite having no sizeable navy, Ukraine has nevertheless achieved some significant successes in the Black Sea using drones and missiles.
Several Russian warships have been sunk or damaged, including the “Moskva,” the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet which was sunk just two months after the launch of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
On February, 14, 2024, Ukraine sunk a heavy assault ship, the Caesar Kuznikov, near the Crimean resort town of Alushka. The Magura V5 naval drones used to destroy the vessel were also used to sink the Sergei Kotov.
The losses have forced Moscow to relocate much of its Black Sea fleet to the safer Russian port of Novorossiysk. Last summer, Ukraine resumed exporting commercial grain shipments from Odesa and other ports.
Pro-Putin commentators expressed dismay at the loss of another warship.
“I don’t want to comment on this. Because if this continues, the Black Sea Fleet will only have catamarans and rubber banana boats for tourists,” one posted on Telegram.
Pro-war Russian military blogger, Yuri Podolyak also accused Moscow’s military leaders of being in “ostrich mode,” that is, having their heads buried in the sand over yet another successful Ukrainian attack in the Black Sea.
Ukraine Launches Drone And Artillery Strikes On Russian Territory
Moreover, Ukrainian drones and artillery struck a number of targets across southwestern Russian border regions on Tuesday morning.
In the western region of Belgorod, local Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that emergency services were dealing with a fire at an “infrastructure facility.”
He said on Telegram: “There were no casualties,” adding, “All circumstances of the incident are being established.”
Also on Tuesday, Ukrainian artillery strikes sparked a fire at a train station and cut power to a village in the neighboring Russian region of Kursk.
“The Glushkovo railway station was shelled from the Ukrainian side,” local Governor Roman Starovoit said.
He added, “Electricity lines were also damaged. Glushkovo station and the village of Kulbaki were left without power. As soon as it is safe, emergency crews will start restoring it.”
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