How Ukrainian Drones Destroyed Two Russian Fast Attack Boats

Ukraine is monitoring Russian navy traffic near its coast line as the destruction of the Black Sea Fleet falgship "Moskva" two weeks ago demonstrated. 

When an opportunity presents itself, the Ukrainians take it. The two patrol boats were offloading troops guarding an island off the coast with replacements. Ukraine monitored the activity and struck with Bayraktar drones. What is fascinating is that the Russians still fail to take adequate precautions - after so many losses - and do not seem to respect Ukraine's ability to hunt and destroy. Which is good news for Ukraine's military. JL 

Isabelle Van Brugen reports in Newsweek:

A Ukrainian Bayraktar drone destroyed two Russian Raptor-class patrol ships near Snake Island, where Ukrainian border guards told the Russian warship Moskva to "go f**k yourself" before they were captured, and (later) returned to Ukraine in a prisoner exchange. Raptor patrol boats can carry three crew and 20 personnel. They are equipped with machine guns and used in reconnaissance or landing operations. The Raptor boats were reportedly being used to evacuate Russian military personnel from the island to replace them with new troops. Ukraine has bought dozens of the drones from Turkey since 2019. "#Bayraktar works."

A Ukrainian drone destroyed two Russian Raptor-class patrol ships near Snake Island on Monday, Ukraine's military chief said.

"Two Russian Raptor-class boats were destroyed at dawn today near Zmiinyi (Snake) Island," the Chief of General Staff Valeriy Zaluzhniy wrote on his social media channels.

Zaluzhniy posted a 17-second video that reportedly shows the moment a Ukrainian Bayraktar drone struck two Russian Raptor fast-attack craft near Snake Island, in the Black Sea, early on Monday. "#Bayraktar works," the military chief wrote, referring to the Bayraktar TB2, an unmanned combat aerial vehicle manufactured by a Turkish company that reportedly helped sink Russia's flagship cruiser Moskva on April 14.

Ukraine has bought dozens of the drones from Turkey since 2019, according to Al Jazeera.

Zaluzhniy said the drone struck two Raptor-class assault boats, which are built by Russian shipbuilder Pella. The high-speed patrol boats are capable of engaging in search-and-rescue, anti-sabotage, and anti-terrorism operations.

"Together to victory!" Zaluzhniy added.

The Russian patrol ships were reportedly destroyed near Snake Island, where Ukrainian border guards told the Russian warship Moskva to "go f**k yourself" before they were captured, and subsequently returned to Ukraine in a prisoner exchange.

Snake Island, also known as Zmiinyi Island, is located some 30 miles off the southern tip of the Ukrainian mainland. It is of strategic importance due to its location near Romanian territory in the northwestern Black Sea.

Russian officials have yet to comment on the reports. Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.

The incident comes weeks after the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet sank shortly after Ukraine claimed to have dealt significant damage to the vessel with Neptune missiles.

The Middle East Eye reported that the TB2 Bayraktar was used to assist in the sinking of the Moskva."Ukraine's anti-ship missile Neptune has some guiding issues. A TB2 Bayraktar must have resolved it by pinpointing the ship," the news outlet reported, citing an unnamed source.