Budanov: Ukraine sunk Russian missile corvette on Feb. 1 with 6 naval drones

The Russian missile corvette Ukraine reported to have sunk off the coast of occupied Crimea on Feb. 1 was destroyed using six naval drones, Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) chief Kyrylo Budanov said on Feb. 4.

Ukraine's military intelligence reported on Feb. 1 that it had sunk the Ivanovets, a Tarantul-class Russian corvette that formed part of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, after it sustained "direct hits to its hull" and was irreparably damaged.

According to Budanov, the mission was undertaken by one of HUR's special units, Group 13, using Maritime Autonomous Guard Unmanned Robotic Apparatuses (MAGURA) V5 – multi-purpose naval drones that can be used for surveillance, reconnaissance, detecting and eliminating mines, search and rescue missions, and combat.

"As a result of the damage, the ship (to the Ivanovets) rolled astern and sank. According to preliminary data, the search and rescue operation conducted by the enemy was not successful," Budanov told the War Zone media outlet on Feb. 4.

These are the most important Russian ships destroyed by Ukraine

One of the most unexpected developments of the full-scale invasion was how many big, expensive Russian ships were taken out by Ukraine, a country that technically has no navy. Around 20% of Russia’s Black Sea fleet has been destroyed as of December 2023, according to National Security and Defense

The Kyiv IndependentDinara Khalilova