Russian forces have encountered a new enemy in the Black Sea: Ukraine’s arsenal of naval kamikaze drones. The latest of Ukraine’s maritime conquests was the Russian Mangust-class patrol boat, which it destroyed off the coast of occupied Crimea with a MAGURA naval drone. Ukraine shifted its focus to naval drones after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Russians used their Black Sea Fleet's rescue ship Kommuna, struck by the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) on April 21, in various operations, including the retrieval of vital components at the location where the Russian cruiser Moskva sank, Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk said in an interview with Radio Svoboda on April 22.
The Russian missile ship Serpukhov, which was reportedly set fire, will be difficult to repair under sanctions pressure, Dmytro Pletenchuk, Ukraine's Navy spokesperson, said on April 9.