On December 15, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said it had successfully attacked a Russian tau at the port of Novorossiysk, on the shore of the Black Sea, using drones operating underwater. According to SBU, the explosion caused serious damage, leaving the ship nearly completely disabled.
In a statement issued on December 15, SBU said that this was the first time Ukraine had launched such an attack, using an underwater drone called Sub Sea Baby. Video released by Ukraine shows a large explosion in the port area, creating columns of water and high fire.
Due to the consequences of the explosion, the Submarine was severely damaged and was no longer capable of combat, SBU stressed. However, this statement cannot be verified by independent sources.
Russia admitted that there was an attack from Ukraine, but completely denied information about the sunken or destroyed Submarine. Russian state media quoted Alexei rulev - head of the Black Sea fleet's press department - as saying that Ukraine's attempt to "destroy by unmanned underwater vehicles" has failed.
"The opponent did not achieve the goal. No warships or sunken Submarines were damaged, rulev said, denying reports that a Russian ship had been destroyed at the Novorossiysk naval base.
According to SBU, the target of the attack was a Kilo-class Submarine - a diesel-electric Submarine used by Russia to launch kalibr cruise missiles.
Each of these ships is capable of launching up to four missiles at the same time, and the kalibr has been used by Russia many times during the conflict to attack targets deep in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian security agency described the Kilo-class attack subspecies as the Black Hole of the ocean, because their shell design helps absorb sound, making it difficult for them to be detected by sonar.
According to SBU's estimate, a subscription of this type is worth about $400 million. As international sanctions severely limit access to Russian high-tech components, the cost of building a new similar ship could now increase to $500 million.
SBU also said the attacked ship was forced to anchor in Novorossiysk instead of its traditional base in Sevastopol, on the Crimean peninsula. Previously, Ukraine's sea- surface drone operations were believed to have forced Russia to withdraw many warships and subscribers from Sevastopol to avoid risks.
If Ukraine's information is verified, it will be an important milestone in the modern naval conflict, showing that unmanned underwater vehicles could become a real threat to the most expensive and tightly protected weapons.
At the same time, the event also reflects Ukraine's growing efforts to take advantage of asymmetrical technology to compensate for the limitations in force and firepower compared to Russia.
