Since September 2022, Ukraine has used naval kamikaze drones to target the Russian Black Sea Fleet, destroying several vessels. The latest strike sank a Mangust-class patrol boat off the coast of occupied Crimea using a domestically produced Magura drone.
The White House on March 25 announced that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to "eliminate the use of force" in the Black Sea, returning the spotlight to a theater of battle that has been relatively quiet for more than a year. Throughout 2022 and 2023, Ukrainian strikes against Russian ships,
Romania and Bulgaria are wary of a possible deal between the U.S. and Russia that could restore Moscow's influence in the Black Sea, the Financial Times reported on March 24, citing undisclosed officials from the region.
Ochamchire, more than 700 kilometers southeast of the nearest Ukrainian-controlled territory, could provide Moscow with a naval base that remains largely beyond the range of Ukraine’s existing long-range strikes.
The amount of oil spilled in the Kerch Strait by two Russian oil tankers is "significantly less than the initial estimate," Russia's Transport Ministry claimed on Jan. 2.
The money will be channeled through the Nansen Support Program, Norway's civil and military support program for Ukraine.
As Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's regime collapsed in a matter of days, Russia's influence in the Middle East appeared to wane. Preoccupied with its all-out war against Ukraine, Russia was unable to prevent the Dec. 8 downfall of its main ally in the region. The stunning rapidity of the rebels'
The Telegram channel Baza identified the serviceman as 47-year-old Valery Trankovsky, a captain of the 1st rank in the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
"It (Black Sea Fleet) was forced to change, in fact, its registration because our large ships became large targets for the enemy's unmanned boats," Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian official heading the Russian occupation of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, said.
Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, said that if Russia deploys several cruise missile carriers to the sea, it does not mean they will be used for an attack.
The Russian Baltic Fleet minesweeper Alexander Obukhov was put out of action thanks to a sabotage operation by Ukraine's military intelligence, the agency said on Oct. 7.
Last October, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine would strike Russia's Black Sea Fleet wherever it will be stationed — implying that could also include occupied parts of Georgia, where Russia has kept a garrison and is rumored to be constructing a naval base. "We will reach them everywhere," the president
The older vessels, which are also poorly maintained, have undeclared owners and questionable insurance, make up the majority of Russian oil transportation due to Western sanctions, according to Bloomberg.
The Magura drone can cover a distance of more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) at a speed of 80 km/h (50 mph) and is capable of carrying a 250-kilogram warhead.
A Magura naval drone operated by Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) destroyed a Russian KS-701 Tunets (Tuna) patrol boat and damaged three more Russian watercraft in occupied Crimea, HUR reported on Aug. 10.
Key developments on Aug. 3-4: * Zelensky confirms F-16s already being used by Ukrainian Air Force * Ukraine's military says it sunk Russian Black Sea Fleet submarine, damaged S-400 missile system in 'successful hit' * Ukraine hit Morozovsk airfield, oil depots in Russia overnight, General Staff confirms * Military: Egyptians recruited by Russia fight
Ukraine's military said on Aug. 3 that a Ukrainian missile strike the day before sunk a Russian Black Sea Fleet submarine and damaged a S-400 air defense system in Russian-occupied Crimea.
Key developments on Aug. 2: * Ukraine's second Ada-class corvette launched in Turkey * Occupied Crimea hit by Ukrainian missile attack, Russia claims * China claims its Ukraine peace plan has support of more than 110 countries * 'Signs of escalation' on battlefield in Kharkiv sector, Ukraine's military says * Russia exaggerating numbers of contract
The Russian navy began scheduled exercises involving a significant portion of its fleet, including 20,000 personnel and 300 ships, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on July 30.
The vessel's designation was Project 1135, Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, told the Kyiv Independent. This patrol ship is not a carrier of cruise missiles, which Russia is using to attack Ukraine, but is equipped with the other weapons, he added.
An explosion at a gas distribution hub near Alushta in Russian-occupied Crimea on the evening of July 6 caused a large fire, the Telegram channel Crimean Wind reported.
The view from the camera skims over the water, low and predatory. Dodging left and right between rows of white splashes, it sidles up to the aft of the looming gray hull. A shape appears to scramble across the deck of the Russian corvette before the feed cuts off. The
Around 30% of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet had been destroyed as of December 2023, according to the Ukrainian military.
One of the Magura drones has already been equipped with these missiles, creating a serious challenge for the Russian Air Force operating in the region, the commander of the military intelligence Group 13 unit said in an interview with journalist Maksym Krapyvnyi.
Russia started using submarines to patrol the Black Sea after a number of ships were attacked by Ukraine, Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for the Southern Defense Forces, said on national television on June 10.
Key developments on May 30: * Ukraine hit 4 Russian patrol boats in occupied Crimea overnight, military intelligence says * Ukraine hits Russian ferry crossing with ATACMS in Crimea, General Staff says * Politico: Biden quietly allows Ukraine to strike Russia with US arms but 'solely near Kharkiv' * Ukraine can use Danish-supplied F-16s
Ukrainian Magura 5V naval drones damaged two more Russian patrol boats in occupied Crimea, bringing the total number of vessels struck in the overnight attack on May 30 to four, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said.
Key developments on May 21: * General Staff confirms Russian missile ship Tsiklon struck in occupied Crimea * EU Council approves using Russian assets revenue to fund Ukraine * Politico: US may announce new military aid package for Ukraine this week * Reuters: Germany plans to up Ukraine military aid by 3.8 billion
The ship was reportedly hit during an attack that the Ukrainian Navy said resulted in the destruction of the Russian minesweeper Kovrovets.
Key developments on May 19: * Russian 'double-tap' strike north of Kharkiv kills 6, including pregnant woman * Ukraine’s Navy says it destroyed Russian sea minesweeper Kovrovets overnight * Media: SBU drones strike airbase, oil refinery in Russia * West's stance on Ukraine war 'completely nonsensical,' says UK defense secretary Russian troops
The report refutes Moscow’s earlier claims of having repelled all strikes on occupied Crimea overnight.
Moscow claims that it had shot down nine U.S.-provided long-range ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) missiles, and a drone over Crimea.
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