Ukraine says high-tech sea drones sunk another Russian warship

Ukrainian forces say they struck a Russian warship with highly advanced sea drones in the Black Sea, the latest blow to Russia’s navy in the war.

The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine said in a Telegram post the Russian patrol ship Sergei Kotov was attacked by five drones in the waters near the Kerch Strait, which connects the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.

The Ukrainian intelligence agency also shared what it said was audio of Russian officers discussing the destruction of the ship and a video of the ship appearing to explode.

Special Ukrainian forces attacked the Sergei Kotov on Monday night with Magura V5 naval drones, according to Ukraine.

“The cost of the sunken ship is about 65 million dollars,” Ukrainian intelligence officials said in another post.

There was no immediate word from Russia’s Defense Ministry on the attack.

Ukraine has inflicted heavy losses on Russia in the Black Sea, driving the Russian navy out of the western parts of those waters.

The U.S. estimated last month that Russia has lost 20 medium-to-large ships in the Black Sea in the fighting.

The Black Sea victories have been one bright spot for Ukraine in the past year after Kyiv failed to gain any significant ground in a 2023 counteroffensive and is struggling to get new military aid from the U.S. Congress.