Official: August especially successful for Ukrainian air, naval drones

Russian targets are "the best training ground" for Ukrainian weapons, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksii Danilov wrote on Twitter on Aug. 5.

Danilov said that with each new combat mission, Ukrainian combat unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and naval drones become "more accurate, operators more experienced, combat coordination more effective."

"The Ukrainian military-industrial complex, without a doubt, will become one of the main world players, the equipment of which has passed a unique combat test," he said.

Danilov's statement comes after a series of explosions in the Black Sea over the past few days.

The Russian landing vessel Olenegorskiy Gornyak was reportedly hit by a naval surface drone on Aug. 4.

On Aug. 4, CNN and several Ukrainian media outlets cited unnamed sources in Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), saying the operation was a joint endeavor between the SBU and the Ukrainian Navy.

Earlier in the day, the U.K. Defense Ministry said that the 3,600 tonnes and 113 meter-long Olenegorskiy Gornyak "almost certainly suffered serious damage after being struck near the Black Sea Fleet’s Novorossiysk base," adding that it is “the largest Russian naval vessel seriously damaged or destroyed since the sinking of the cruiser Moskva" in April last year.

"This is a significant blow to the (Russian) Black Sea Fleet, which previously relocated most of its units to Novorossiysk due to the high threat to Sevastopol," the ministry said.

In the early hours on Aug. 5, explosions were also reported near the Crimean Bridge. The Moscow Times reported via its Telegram channel that the naval drone attack on the Kerch Strait could have potentially damaged the Russian SIG chemical tanker.

Later in the day, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) chief Vasyl Maliuk made a statement on the recent surface drone attacks on Russian ships, effectively admitting that Ukraine was behind the attacks.

He said such attacks are "absolutely logical" and "completely legal."

Hell in high definition: Inside front-line aerial unit surveilling battle of Bakhmut

Editor’s Note: The Ukrainian soldiers featured in this article are identified by first names and callsigns to protect their identities. BAKHMUT, Donetsk Oblast – On the screen of a large handheld remote control, a Ukrainian drone operator scans a gray, washed-out landscape of ruined houses and mudd…

The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell