A Ukrainian Magura V5 sea drone strike damaged the Russian Black Sea Fleet patrol ship Sergei Kotov off occupied Crimea, Ukrainian military intelligence said on Tuesday the 5th of March, adding that the vessel sank near the Kerch Strait separating Crimea from Russia, reports the British broadcaster BBC.
The Ukrainian military intelligence statement said the Black Sea Fleet patrol vessel suffered damage to the stern, as well as to the starboard and port sides, adding that the cost of the sunken ship was estimated at 65 million US dollars.
Another bad day for the russian Black Sea fleet.@DI_Ukraine released a video of the attack on the russian warship “Sergei Kotov”. pic.twitter.com/UTmt3eBDXO
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) March 5, 2024
The Kremlin has not yet commented, although some Russian pro-war bloggers have confirmed the attack.
Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for the Ukrainian intelligence service, told broadcaster RFERL that in the attack sailors on board were killed and wounded.
The Sergei Kotov is one of four patrol vessels completed under the Russian Navy’s Project 22160. According to Ukraine, the vessel participated in the attack on Snake Island in February 2022 together with the cruiser Moskva, which was sunk by Ukraine in February 2022.
In recent months, Ukraine has repeatedly attacked the Russian Black Sea Fleet stationed on the peninsula. Last month, another Russian ship, the Cezar Kunikov, was sunk in a drone strike.
Also read: VIDEO | Ukraine says it destroyed a Russian large landing ship in the Black Sea
Follow us on Facebook and X!