Ukraine's Navy Inflicts Further Damage on Russian Black Sea Fleet

On Thursday, Ukraine's military inflicted further setbacks on Vladimir Putin's navy through a successful special forces operation. Despite lacking a significant naval presence, Ukraine has caused considerable damage to Russia's Black Sea Fleet since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. Approximately one-third of the fleet's vessels have been either destroyed or severely damaged in drone and missile strikes. This includes the sinking of the Moskva, the Black Sea Fleet's flagship, in April 2022. These persistent attacks have compelled Russian admirals to relocate the fleet from Crimea to Novorossiysk, thereby diminishing Russia's capacity to exert control over the Black Sea.

In the most recent covert operation, the HUR, Ukraine's military intelligence, launched an attack on a Russian Buyan-M-class small missile ship. This vessel is utilized for launching Kalibr cruise missile strikes against Ukrainian targets. The "Prymary" special forces unit employed drones and missiles to target the ship while it was navigating near Russian-occupied Crimea in the Azov Sea. The drones damaged the ship's radar system, forcing it to withdraw from its patrol zone before it could launch its missiles. The HUR released a video of the attack on social media, which was widely shared. The video showed a kamikaze drone approaching the vessel at high speed before impacting it. The Buyan-M-class ship, also known as Project 21631, is a small but heavily armed corvette designed for shallow water operations.

The targeted vessel was among the first Russian surface ships to launch Kalibr missiles. On August 21, the HUR also reported striking a Russian patrol boat in the Black Sea near the occupied town of Zaliznyi Port in Kherson Oblast, resulting in the deaths of five crew members. Concurrently, Russian forces attacked a Ukrainian ship in the Danube estuary, resulting in one fatality and several injuries. The vessel was struck shortly after midnight, leading to its capsizing. Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmitry Pletenchuk confirmed the attack and stated that they were assessing the consequences.