The Ukrainian Navy has successfully struck a russian natural gas extraction rig in the Black Sea. An exclusive video capturing the moment of impact was shared by Ukrainian activist and volunteer Serhii Sternenko.
Sternenko also hinted at the potential weapon used in the attack, noting that Ukraine’s Naval Forces operate Sea Baby unmanned surface vessels, which can deliver a 900-kilogram warhead in a suicide attack. Defense Express adds that earlier, drones of this type were observed in use by the Security Service of Ukraine.
Read more: The Group 13 Unit Destroys russian KS 701 Tunets Boat and Damages Three Other Vessels with the Magura V5 Drones (Video)
Військово-морські сили розчищають Чорне море від російського непотребу!Цієї ночі вони завдали удару по одній із газових вишок у акваторії, де ворог розмістив технічне розвідувальне обладнання та тримав до 40 осіб особового складу. Тепер це підводні і одночасно підсмажені… pic.twitter.com/8GAoJ84axo— Serhii Sternenko (@sternenko) August 10, 2024
Although the exact time and place of the attack are not specified, a fire that erupted following the explosion was detected by NASA's wildfire monitoring satellites. The system recorded anomalies on August 8–9 in the Black Sea, pinpointing the date of the attack.
This data also enabled identification of the target: a gas platform located in the Shtormove gas field, most likely the Marine Stationary Platform No. 17 (MSP-17), which was captured by russian forces in 2014.
As of 2018, the russian Federation had installed a Neva-BS surveillance radar station and hydroacoustic monitoring equipment on MSP-17. While the configuration of the platform’s intelligence, surveillance, electronic warfare, and communication equipment at the time of the attack is unknown, it is likely to have expanded in numbers and variety since the outbreak of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk confirmed the attack on the rig and explained that the russian military used the rig as a platform for GPS spoofing equipment, as quoted by RBC-Ukraine.
"Given that this is the northern part of the Western Sea, this could affect the operation of our grain corridor and the safety of civilian shipping," Pletenchuk noted.
Sternenko reported that approximately 40 russian troops were stationed on the platform to guard it and maintain the equipment.
Earlier today Defense Express covered how Ukraine's Defense Intelligence used another type of maritime drone, the Magura V5, to destroy a KS 701 Tunets patrol boat and damaged three more vessels of the russian forces.
Read more: Ukrainian Intelligence Provides Detailed Account of Operation Boyko Towers in the Black Sea (Video)
