Ukraine Sank Russian Warship With 6 Jet-Ski Powered Sea Drones

Jet skis could become to sea drones, what small hobby drones have become to the aerial version. JL 

Mia Jankowicz reports in Business Insider:

A Ukrainian special military unit has said it sank the Ivanovets, one of Russia's Black Sea Fleet ships, last week using six sea drones powered by Jet Skis called Maritime Autonomous Guard Unmanned Robotic Apparatuses, known as MAGURA V5 naval drones. The MAGURA V5 is a multipurpose, 18-foot-long maritime drone with a hydrodynamic profile and a range of about 500 miles. the drone could be preprogrammed for most of its journey. It's monitored by a pilot and can be controlled manually for the final approach.

A Ukrainian special military unit has said it sank one of Russia's Black Sea Fleet ships last week using six sea drones powered by Jet Skis, or civilian personal watercraft.

Russia has not yet commented on the video shared by Defense Intelligence of Ukraine on Thursday, which purports to show the drone's-eye view of the attack on the corvette Ivanovets and ends with footage of a ship descending stern-first into the water.

There has been no independent confirmation of the sinking, but both pro-Russian and Western observers view the footage as relatively strong evidence.

Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's head of military intelligence, told the military-news outlet The War Zone that the ship was struck by six home-developed Maritime Autonomous Guard Unmanned Robotic Apparatuses, known as MAGURA V5 naval drones.

 

The MAGURA V5 is a multipurpose, 18-foot-long maritime drone with a hydrodynamic profile and a range of about 500 miles, according to specifications shared at a 2023 arms fair.

A still from a video shared by the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine on Thursday, which is claimed to be of the corvette Ivanovets while under attack. 

Defense Intelligence of Ukraine/YouTube

The War Zone reported that the drones were the same model used to attack two Russian landing crafts in western Crimea in November.

Speaking with CNN, one of the drone pilots, identified by the call sign "13," said that the drones were powered by Jet Skis and controlled via a Starlink connection.

He said the drone could be preprogrammed for most of its journey. It's monitored by a pilot and can be controlled manually for the final approach.

 

"The main thing is to feel the drone," he said, adding: "If you squeeze it a little, you can lose control of the drone. I would say it's like jeweler's work."

With their low profile, the drones can be difficult to spot against the water, although the video footage appears to show the Ivanovets firing into the water in an attempt to take them out.

In total, 10 MAGURA V5s were sent on the mission, with six hitting the ship, the pilot told CNN.

The Ivanovets was likely used as a patrol ship, tasked with warding off saboteurs attempting to land in Crimea or — ironically — to see off naval drones targeting larger, more valuable prizes, Sidharth Kaushal, a naval expert at the UK's Royal United Services Institute, told Business Insider.

 

The claimed destruction of the vessel has been viewed by analysts as part of the ongoing weakening of Russia's control over the Black Sea.

Russia's Black Sea Fleet operations have been "greatly complicated, if not paralyzed" because of months of attacks, Dmytro Pletenchuk, a Ukrainian naval captain, told broadcasters on Sunday, the Kyiv Post reported.