On March 5, 2024, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence stated they had attacked and sunk the russian Sergey Kotov patrol ship, close to the Kerch Straits in the eastern Black Sea. The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine stated the attack on the Sergey Kotov ship used Magura V5 maritime unmanned surface vehicles (USV); the same type of USVs used in the February 14, 2024 attack on the russian Caesar Kunikov landing ship, the UK Defense Intelligence reports.
The Sergey Kotov ship only commissioned into the Black Sea Fleet in July 2022. It had been previously targeted by USVs in July and September 2023, sustaining minor damage and returning to service shortly after on both occasions.
Read more: How Many Ukrainian Magura V5 Drones Needed to Sink russian Sergey Kotov Patrol Ship?
This is the thirdrussian Black Sea Fleet vessel sunk in the past five weeks. Likely because of Black Sea Fleet losses, on February 15, 2024, the Black Sea Fleet Commander, Admiral Viktor Sokolov, was dismissed. Ukraine continues to limit the freedom of manoeuvre of the russian Navy in the Black Sea.
Read more: Ukrainian Forces Destroyed russian Sergey Kotov Patrol Ship (Video)
