The attack is said to have taken place in the Donuzlav Bay in western Crimea on the night between January 31 and February 1, according to Ukraine.
Time and place are difficult to confirm from the images – however, they clearly match previous images of the ship Ivanovets.
Russian authorities have so far not commented on the incident. However, the Russian military blogger “Voenkor Kotenok” writes on his Telegram channel that the ship Ivanovets sank after being hit by three surface water drones.
Can be used against merchant ships
The ship is of the Tarantul III class and normally has a crew of 50 people. Lowering it could be strategically important for Ukraine’s wheat exports that pass through the Black Sea, according to Niklas Granholm, research leader at the Total Defense Research Institute, FOI.
– This robot corvette may have been intended to shoot robots at the merchant ships that follow this route, he says.
– As far as I know, the Black Sea Navy has four ships of this type. And now you have three, by all accounts.
Success at sea – without a fleet
The attack is one in a series of successes Ukraine has had at sea – despite having no regular navy. Instead, they have used robots or surface water drones.
– Russia has tried to set up various defensive means against the Ukrainian surface water drones, such as booms and nets, but it doesn’t seem to really work, says Niklas Granholm.
One fifth damaged or sunk
Around 20 percent of Russia’s resources in the Black Sea have either been damaged or sunk, according to Niklas Granholm. According to him, the trend looks set to continue.
– Exports are rolling for Ukraine and the Russian Black Sea Navy is being pushed back more and more. But 80 percent of it remains and can be strengthened, so we haven’t seen the end of this yet, he says.