Ukraine claims to have sunk Russian warship in occupied Crimea
Ukraine has sunk a Russian warship near the Kerch strait in occupied Crimea, it said, in a further blow to Moscow’s naval power and its control over the Black Sea despite Ukrainian losses elsewhere.
The HUR military intelligence agency in Kyiv said it attacked the Sergei Kotov on Monday night with naval drones. The vessel, which was on patrol, suffered damage to the stern, right and left sides, and then sank, the agency said.
Dramatic video footage showed Ukrainian kamikaze drones closing in on the vessel, seen in ghostly silhouette. A drone hits its hull and there is a large explosion. More drones then target the jagged hole caused by the first impact. There are further detonations, according to video shared by the Group 13 special unit.
A second video published by pro-Kremlin channels also captures a large explosion. Gunfire and bright flashes can be seen as the ship apparently opens fire on the drones. Witnesses quoted by Telegram channels reported five loud booms.
The fate of the Sergei Kotov’s 60 crew members is unknown. The HUR said it carried out the strike in cooperation with the naval forces of the armed forces of Ukraine, and the digital transformation ministry. “The cost of the sunken ship is about $65m,” it said.
On land, Russian forces have been advancing across the eastern frontline and last month captured the salient city of Avdiivka after a five-month assault. At sea, however, they have suffered a series of setbacks, as Ukraine has used sophisticated home-produced drones to pick off warships.
On 14 February, Ukraine sunk a heavy assault ship, the Caesar Kuznikov, near the Crimean resort town of Alushka. The Magura V5 naval drones used to destroy the vessel were also used to sink the Sergei Kotov.
The losses have forced Moscow to relocate much of its Black Sea fleet to the safer Russian port of Novorossiysk. Last summer, Ukraine resumed exporting commercial grain shipments from Odesa and other ports.
Pro-Putin commentators expressed dismay at the loss of another warship. “I don’t want to comment on this. Because if this continues, the Black Sea Fleet will only have catamarans and rubber banana boats for tourists. [It’s] fucked up,” one posted on Telegram.
Ukrainian officials reacted with glee. The defence ministry tweeted that the Sergei Kotov – launched in 2021 – had become “a submarine”. It had “joined the Moskva”, the fleet’s powerful flagship, which was sunk in April 2022, at the beginning of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion.
“Historic humiliation of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet continues,” tweeted Illia Ponomarenko, the former defence correspondent for the Kyiv Independent newspaper.
Ukraine’s long-term strategic objective is to degrade Russia’s military and naval assets on Crimea, and to blow up the Kerch bridge connecting the occupied peninsula with the Russian mainland.
Kyiv has repeatedly asked Berlin to give it Germany’s long-range Taurus missile system. Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has so far ruled this out. Earlier this week, the Kremlin released an intercepted phone call during which high-ranking German military officers discussed how Taurus could be used to destroy the crossing.
+1 russian ship was upgraded to a submarine.
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) March 5, 2024
Tonight, the special unit of the @DI_Ukraine "Group 13" attacked the patrol ship of the russian Black Sea Fleet, "Sergei Kotov," worth $65 million.
As a result of the attack by Magura V5 naval drones, the russian ship of project… pic.twitter.com/smZ1H1Ekp6