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Ukraine destroys Russian patrol boat in Black Sea using drone-guided laser, intelligence says

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Ukraine destroys Russian patrol boat in Black Sea using drone-guided laser, intelligence says
Footage purporting to show the patrol boat destroyed by Ukrainian intelligence near the occupied town of Zaliznyi Port in Kherson Oblast, Ukraine, on Aug. 20, 2025. (HUR)

Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) struck a Russian patrol boat in the Black Sea near the occupied town of Zaliznyi Port in Kherson Oblast, killing five crew members, HUR reported on Aug. 21.

The Aug. 20 attack was carried out with a missile, guided by a laser designator operated from a drone, HUR claimed.  

Earlier, the Ukrainian military had said that Ukraine was already using laser technologies to hit Russian targets.

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The Kyiv Independent could not verify these reports.

Zaliznyi Port, once a popular Black Sea resort, was occupied by Russia in 2022. It is located some 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Kherson.

In late July, Ukrainian special forces destroyed Russian weaponry and personnel during a combat operation on the Tendra Spit, an island off the coast of the occupied area of Kherson Oblast.

Russia is turning occupied Ukraine into a giant military base
Russia is turning the parts of Ukraine it occupies into a giant military base — and a potential launch pad for future aggression. Moscow’s forces in the occupied territories, particularly in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, are converting civilian infrastructure into bases to house its soldiers, transport ammunition, and launch its drones from closer than ever to Ukrainian-held territory. Among the clearest examples is the Donetsk International Airport. Recent satellite images that Pla
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Kateryna Denisova

News Editor

Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.

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