11 months ago
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On Oct. 11, Russian military blogger Rybar reported that Ukraine had attacked and damaged the large Russian patrol ship Pavel Derzhavin. The attack reportedly damaged the ship’s rudder, preventing it from steering. A tug boat was sent out to rescue the Pavel Derzhavin, but soon after the two ships met, the tug was also attacked. The source of the attack was reportedly Ukrainian drone boats. The Ukrainian navy has confirmed the damage to the Pavel Derzhavin. Some reports have insisted that the ship has “exploded.”
This wasn’t the first such attack by Ukraine. At least one other Russian ship of the same Project 22160 Class, the Sergey Kotov, was reportedly damaged by Ukrainian aquatic drones on Sept. 14, possibly along with a third boat in this class. In October 2022, a reported nine-drone “fleet” attacked Russian ships at anchor near Sevastopol.
Just as with aerial drones, Ukraine has been rapidly developing, innovating, and building new generations of aquatic drones since the Russian invasion began. According to some reports, the Pavel Derzhavin was hit by one of Ukraine’s “Sea Baby” drones, such as the one used in an attack on the Kerch Bridge in September. But there was one feature of the attack that made it stand out. According to Russian sources, “the epicenter of the explosion was underwater.”
So, it seems, was the ship’s attacker.
