Ukrainian defence forces destroy Russian Black Sea fleet patrol ship

Ukraine’s Defence Forces on Tuesday reported striking the Russian Black Sea Fleet patrol ship Sergey Kotov near the Kerch Strait, resulting in its destruction. 

According to military intelligence sources, the operation was conducted last night by the special unit Group 13, in coordination with Ukrainian military and naval forces, and with the backing of the Ministry of Digital Transformation.

The main intelligence division of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine revealed that naval drones (Magura V5) were employed in the attack, resulting in “significant damage” to the ship’s hull and both its right and left sides.

This recent strike follows a previous attack by Ukrainian Defense Forces on the Sergey Kotov in September 2023, during which the ship sustained damage, as confirmed by military intelligence at that time.