Last Friday, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, made a rare television appearance asking for a collection: “We are raising funds on our United24 platform to create a naval fleet of drones… so now anyone – not only in Ukraine but in other countries – can participate in the consolidation of the first fleet of aquatic drones in the world, something that can provide security to our marine areas”.
The first sea drone, for which funds were raised in less than an hour, “we have called Kherson,” Zelensky said. The second will be called Sevastopol and the president added that, in his opinion, “all this is bringing the moment of liberation of our Crimea closer.” On October 29, before dawn, between six and eight “suicide” drones crossed the surface of the sea in the port of Sevastopol attacking Russian ships in the Black Sea. At the same time, other traditional Ukrainian drones attacked from the air.
The Ukrainian military released some impressive videos filmed from the same aquatic drones – they are not torpedoes because they navigate the surface – until they exploded. The attack occurred 300 kilometers from the coast controlled by Ukraine, while the Russian fleet was patrolling the area. The drones safely entered a guarded bay with a very narrow entrance, where some ships were taken by surprise.
However, the Russian Mi-17 helicopters reacted and strafed the sea drones. At least one of the drones was destroyed. The damage inflicted on the Russian fleet is not yet clear and according to Ukraine, two enemy ships were badly damaged (there are photos to prove it). The Russian Defense Minister assures that his forces destroyed seven maritime drones. With this attack, Ukraine managed to hit the prestigious Russian Black Sea fleet for the second time, after the destruction of the Moska warship last April.
Ukrainian drones are almost handmade: they are armed with a Canadian jet ski to which they attach a FAB-500 bomb that explodes when it collides. It is considered a new design, almost an invention. Each one costs about $300,000 and includes an autopilot and night vision system, and a communication module.
Zelensky has accused Iran of supplying Russia with kamikaze drones. The Persian country admitted the sale of these weapons, clarifying that they happened before the war and in small quantities. The Ukrainian president replied that “even in the confession they are lying; we shoot down at least ten Iranian drones every day, while the Iranian regime claims that they sold few.”