Ukraine ‘blows up £300m Russian submarine’ with underwater drones
· Yahoo NewsCredit: Telegram/@SBUkr
Ukraine has claimed to have blown up a Russian submarine using underwater drones for the first time.
The submarine, which was carrying Kalibr cruise missiles and is estimated to cost close to £300m, was critically damaged after being hit in the Russian port city of Novorossiysk, according to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on Monday.
The SBU did not specify the date or time of the attack. If verified, this would be the first time an underwater drone has hit a Russian submarine since the invasion began in 2022.
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Russia’s Black Sea Fleet said a Ukrainian attempt to attack the Russian naval base failed, according to news agencies.
“Not ⁠a single ship or submarine of the Black Sea Fleet located at the base in Novorossiysk Bay ⁠was damaged,” agencies quoted the Black Sea Fleet as saying on Monday. “There were no injuries to crew.”
Video footage purportedly of the attack shows multiple Russian warships and a surfaced submarine, before there’s a sudden explosion in the water.
The clip has not been independently verified, but Reuters confirmed the location as Novorossiysk using the port’s layout and piers.
The SBU claimed the 636.6 Varshavyanka-class submarine, which “carried four Kalibr cruise missile launchers”, had been left effectively inoperable.
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Replacing it, considering international sanctions imposed on Moscow, would cost up to £370m, the SBU said.
“The Security Service of Ukraine carried out another unique special operation and launched a naval attack in the port of Novorossiysk,” the SBU said in a statement.
“For the first time in history, Sub Sea Baby underwater drones blew up a Russian... submarine.”
Ukraine’s upgraded “Sub Sea Baby” drones were unveiled in October, according to the statement.
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The drones reportedly operate at distances of more than 1,500km and carry a payload of up to 2,000kg, around double the previous limit.
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According to Kyiv, they have previously been used to strike the support columns of the Kerch Bridge, which links Crimea with mainland Russia, and three sanctioned oil tankers linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet” in the Black Sea.
Dmytro Pletenchuk, the Ukrainian navy spokesman, told Reuters the operation to hit a submarine marked “another turning point” in the naval battle between Ukraine and Russia.
Alexander Kamyshin, an advisor to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, wrote on X that it was the first time in history that an underwater drone had neutralised a submarine. “I’ve been waiting for this day,” he said.
The Kalibr is one of the most modern and accurate cruise missiles in Russia’s arsenal. They are expensive and there are doubts about how many Moscow has left owing to difficulties procuring Western electronics.
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The Varshavyanka submarine is known as the “Black Hole” because of the hull’s ability to absorb sounds and remain invisible to sonars.
Russia is believed to have just 12 Varshavyanka submarines – six in its Black Sea fleet and six in its Pacific fleet, according to Ivan Stupak, Ukrainian military analyst and former SBU officer.
He added on social media that Novorossiysk is a heavily guarded port. “This is a real game-changer. As a result, one more Kalibr cruise missile carrier is lost and the potential total missile salvo against Ukrainian territory is slightly reduced,” said Mr Stupak.
Ukraine has become a world leader in sea drones and is thought to have carried out at least 13 attacks with them.
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Kyiv has used them to attack Russian military ships and a naval base in Sevastopol, which forced Moscow to relocate its vessels from the Crimean port to the one in Novorossiysk.
Ukraine has stepped up its naval attacks in the Black Sea in recent weeks. Russia regularly strikes the Ukrainian port of Odessa.
Drones have become a crucial part in Kyiv’s fight against Russia, as the devices are cheaper and quicker to produce than traditional weaponry.