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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.

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Kateryna Denisova

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Kateryna Denisova is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, covering Ukrainian domestic politics and social issues. She joined the newsroom in 2024 as a news editor following four years at the NV media outlet. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. She was also a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.

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