The video shows that the USV attacked the Caesar Kunikov while it was stationary and hit the hull of the ship in the middle. After the hit, an explosion can be seen on the video, which was probably recorded by another USV.
According to GUR, the attack was carried out by special forces of “Group 13” of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine near the city of Alupka. GUR also confirmed that the Magura V5 USV was used in the attack.
“Caesar Kunikov received critical holes on the left side and began to sink. It is symbolic that the Russian officer, after whom the ship was named, was killed exactly 81 years ago.”
GUR Telegram account
Ukraine began using kamikaze USVs in the war in the fall of 2022. The first attack, which took place on October 29, 2022, was shocking for the Russian Black Sea Fleet, as it was not expected. An Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate and a mine countermeasure (MCM) ship were reportedly hit by the Ukrainian USV during the attack.
The Russian Black Sea Fleet has lost a significant number of naval vessels, including combat ships and logistics vessels, to Ukrainian kamikaze attacks on USVs over the past year. Although the Russian ships have been able to repel some attacks with machine guns, this does not appear to be a solid solution against the Ukrainian suicide drones as they continue to lose assets with each attack.
The last attack was carried out on a Project 1241.1 corvette (NATO code: Tarantul II) two weeks ago in the region and resulted in the sinking of the vessel.
The attacks in Ukraine demonstrate the effectiveness of kamikaze UAVs, which are difficult to detect and defend against and must be carefully monitored for 24 hours with efficient sensors.
