Ukraine’s largest naval ship sunk in first Russian sea drone strike
text_fields
Ukraine has lost its largest naval vessel in over a decade after a Russian sea drone strike targeted the Simferopol, a Laguna-class reconnaissance ship.
The incident, confirmed by both Moscow and Kyiv, marks Russia’s first successful use of a naval drone to destroy a Ukrainian warship.
According to the Russian Defence Ministry, the Simferopol was hit in the Danube River delta, located partly within Ukraine’s Odesa region. Designed for radio, electronic, radar, and optical reconnaissance, the medium-sized vessel was launched in 2019 and officially entered service with the Ukrainian Navy in 2021.
Ukrainian officials confirmed the strike, reporting one sailor killed and several others injured. “Efforts to address the aftermath of the attack are ongoing. The majority of the crew are safe, and the search for several missing sailors continues,” a Ukrainian Navy spokesperson told The Kiev Independent.
The strike underscores a turning point in naval warfare in the Black Sea region. A TASS-cited UAV expert described it as the first time a sea drone had successfully neutralised a Ukrainian naval ship.
Military sources, including the WarGonzo Telegram channel, noted that the Simferopol was the largest ship built and commissioned by Kyiv since 2014, highlighting the significance of the loss for Ukraine’s already limited naval fleet.
The development also comes amid reports that Russia has ramped up production of unmanned systems, particularly naval drones, to strengthen its operations in the ongoing conflict.
In a related escalation, Ukrainian politician Igor Zinkevich claimed on Thursday that Russia struck a drone production facility in Kyiv overnight with two missile attacks. The site was reportedly preparing to assemble Turkish-made Bayraktar drones, RT reported.