'First-ever battle' — Ukrainian naval drone destroys Russian unmanned boat in Black Sea, Navy says
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A Ukrainian unmanned surface vessel destroyed a Russian naval drone in the Black Sea in what Ukraine’s Navy described as the "first-ever naval battle" between unmanned boats.
The operation was carried out jointly with Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR), whose units detected the unmanned Russian vessel, the Navy said on Sept. 12.
The Russian drone was destroyed by a Ukrainian Sargan-3000 unmanned boat, equipped with a 12.7-mm Protector remote weapons station, according to the Navy. The drone-on-drone encounter marked a historic first.
"This is the first-ever battle between unmanned naval boats," the Navy said.
The military also published video footage of the operation on its official Telegram account.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the Navy's report at the time of publication.
The joint operation represents a shift from naval drones attacking conventional ships to drone-on-drone maritime combat. Both Ukraine and Russia are increasingly moving toward unmanned warfare at sea.
Ukraine has dramatically expanded maritime-drone operations in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, hitting dozens of Russian vessels and maritime logistics targets this summer, striking 105 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov campaign alone.
Russia is also developing and deploying more unmanned surface systems. Recent satellite imagery indicated Moscow was building what appeared to be its first dedicated naval-drone port in occupied Crimea.
Ukraine's Sargan-3000 is a naval unmanned system that passed combat testing in April 2026. The multi-purpose platform is "highly maneuverable" and capable of executing strike missions, according to the Navy.
