Ukraine is constantly inventing new ways to destroy Russian ships in the seas around occupied Crimea, military intelligence (HUR) spokesperson Andrii Yusov said on May 7.
Speaking to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Yusov said operators of the agency's Magura V5 multi-purpose sea drone vary their attacks and "do not repeat themselves every time."
His comments come a day after the military intelligence agency said it had destroyed a Russian Mangust-class patrol boat off the coast of occupied Crimea, the latest of several vessels destroyed by the Magura sea drone.
Yusov said Russia has been taking steps to counter the attacks, including by trying to hide ships and build protective barriers, but said the agency was "finding new ways to show that HUR and Magura work extremely efficiently."
The spokesperson did not elaborate on the new methods, but on the same day that the Mangust-class patrol boat was sunk, Russia's Defense Ministry published a video of what appeared to be a Magura equipped with an anti-aircraft missile.
Ukraine previously destroyed several Russian ships with a Magura V5 multi-purpose sea drone, including a landing ship Caesar Kunikov, a Sergei Kotov patrol ship, high-speed Serna and Akula landing crafts, and a Tarantul-class Ivanovets missile corvette.
Ukrainian forces also partially damaged the Russian military ship Ivan Khurs using a Magura V5 drone.
On April 21, Ukraine's Navy struck the Kommuna ship in occupied Sevastopol. It was launched in 1915 and is the oldest ship still in service in the Russian Navy.
Sevastopol is home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet and is frequently targeted by Ukrainian missile and sea drone strikes.
Kateryna Hodunova
(Updated: )
