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Ukraine’s internal security agency said it used an underwater drone to damage a Russian submarine.
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The agency said it was the first attack that could mark a new chapter in drone warfare.
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Ukraine has long used naval drones to target Russian surface ships.
Ukraine has carried out its first such attack on a Russian submarine using an underwater drone, Kiev said on Monday, revealing a new use for its explosive-laden unmanned systems.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said it carried out a “unique special operation” using underwater drones to attack a Russian Kilo-class submarine in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, damaging and disabling the submarine.
Ukraine’s main internal security agency, the SBU, revealed that the attack involved the use of its “Baby” drone, which appears to be an underwater version of Ukraine’s “Baby” naval drone used to attack Russian surface ships and port infrastructure.
The SBU said in a statement that the submarine was equipped with four Kalibr cruise missile launchers, which Russia regularly fires at Ukrainian cities.
The security agency did not specify when the operation took place but said it was coordinated with the Ukrainian navy. The video released by the SBU appears to show the moment the underwater drone struck the submarine, causing a massive explosion.
Neither the Russian Defense Ministry nor its U.S. embassy immediately responded to requests for comment.
Kilo-class submarines are diesel-electric submarines that have been in service since the 1980s. Russia has dozens of active submarines, constituting one of the largest submarine fleets in the world.
A Russian Kilo-class submarine is en route to the Black Sea.OZAN ​​KOSE/AFP via Getty Images
The SBU said a Kilo-class submarine costs about $400 million, but the agency added that sweeping international sanctions would make it significantly more expensive for Russia to build replacement submarines.
The submarine attack is the latest attack on the Russian navy in the Black Sea. Ukraine has used drones and missiles to damage and destroy dozens of warships and other vessels since the war began.
The asymmetric action forced Russia to move the bulk of its battered Black Sea fleet from its long-held headquarters on the occupied Crimean peninsula to Novorossiysk in the region. However, Ukraine has proven that it can target Russian ships there as well.
The SBU said on Monday that the damaged submarine was located in Novorossiysk as a result of Ukraine’s actions to expel the Russian navy from Crimea early in the war.
What’s more, the submarine strikes appear to mark a new chapter in drone warfare. Ukraine uses naval drones such as Sea Babies to attack Russian surface ships and underwater drones to attack Russian “shadow fleet” ships transporting oil and circumventing sanctions.
However, strikes against submarines with slow-moving mines or torpedoes indicate an expansion of Ukrainian capabilities.
In addition to Ukraine, Russia and NATO countries are also actively developing their own underwater drone technology, as the military looks to enhance traditional naval capabilities with more unmanned systems.
Read the original article on Business Insider
