“Russian navy ‘repels’ drone attack on Crimea’s Sevastopol”

Black Sea Fleet units at Sebastopol

““Today at night, the most massive attack by UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and remote-controlled surface vehicles in the waters of the Sevastopol bay was undertaken” since Moscow launched its offensive, Razgozhayev told Russian state media later on Saturday.

The attack in Sevastopol – the largest city in the Crimean peninsula, comes as Ukraine has been engaged in a fierce battle with Russian forces in the Kherson region, which serves as the gateway to Crimea. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

The Ukrainian military on Saturday claimed that Russian forces continued their withdrawal from Kherson, ahead of an expected advance by Kyiv.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine spokesman Oleksandr Shtupun said in a regular social media update that large numbers of injured and sick Russian soldiers were being taken out of hospitals in Kherson, the southern province overrun by Moscow in the early days of the war.

Al Jazeera, however, could not ascertain the veracity of the Ukrainian military claims.

Moscow blames UK, Ukraine for drone attack

Moscow accused the UK of helping Ukraine plan a drone attack on its Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol port, and said that one of its ships suffered “minor” damage.

“The preparation of this terrorist act and the training of the military personnel of the Ukrainian 73rd Special Center for Maritime Operations were carried out under the guidance of British specialists located in the city of Ochakiv in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region,” Moscow’s defence ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

“It should be emphasised that the ships of the Black Sea Fleet that were attacked by terrorists are involved in ensuring the security of the ‘grain corridor’ as part of an international initiative to export agricultural products from Ukrainian ports,” it said.”

Comment: Why Russia thinks the British were involved in this attack is a mystery to me although the UK has many drone systems on hand and in development. If the Russians shot all the drones down, this is further evidence that drones are of limited use against an opponent with significant air defense capability. pl

Russian navy ‘repels’ drone attack on Crimea’s Sevastopol | News | Al Jazeera

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17 Responses to “Russian navy ‘repels’ drone attack on Crimea’s Sevastopol”

  1. Sam says:

    On Friday night, Ukraine launched an attack on the Crimean port of Sevastopol. Russian sources have reported that this attack included at least nine UAVs (drones) and seven UMV (automated boats). Ukrainian sources have called these claims ridiculous. But however it was achieved, there are reports of damage to a number of Russian naval vessels, including the Frigate Admiral Makarov. At least three of the ships damaged are reportedly those which were have launched Kalibr missiles into Ukrainian cities.

    https://m.dailykos.com/stories/2022/10/29/2132097/-Ukraine-update-A-night-attack-on-the-port-in-Sevastopol-damages-at-least-three-Russian-ships

    It appears this attack hit a few Russian naval vessels. Maybe Russian air defense thwarted the bulk of the attack however the Makarov was struck. It is interesting that the Ukrainian military continues to strike Russian military targets in the Crimea.

  2. Al says:

    Sam, the pics and videos in article appear to show extensive multiple explosions. Along with observations of fires on ships existing over a long period of time.

    Not at all “minor” damage!

  3. Leith says:

    Another Souda Bay? The Italian Navy pioneered this concept per naval analyst & historian H. Sutton. IMO the Brits have nothing like this. I’m sure the Royal Navy has dabbled with USVs and UUVs but so has every other navy in the world. Their Special Boat Service commandos seem to specialize in swimmer delivery vehicles as well as old school kayaks.

    Got to wonder how they managed to get into the harbor. Was their no boom chain or net? What happened to the Russian Navy dolphins supposedly protecting the harbor? Or do they only respond to frogmen?

    • TTG says:

      Leith,

      We had Klepper kayaks in 10th Group. Although we weren’t a coastal team, we did an exercise once attacking the Everett LNG terminal in Boston Harbor. We embarked from Provincetown late morning and disabled the terminal early the next morning. It was a hell of a paddle.

      • Leith says:

        50 or60 mile isn’t it?

        I’ve been out there fishing for bluefin when I was a boy with waves six feet high. No place for a kayak IMO.

        • TTG says:

          Leith,

          With spray skirts, there’s no craft better suited for open ocean water. You become one with the water… almost literally if you’re not careful. I wish I could paddle with that endurance now.

  4. Al says:

    Hmmm, “drone watercraft” made it onto the harbor! How many Admirals are left for Putin to fire?

  5. Al says:

    Back in Kherson, Ukrinform reporting that Russia has withdrawn all military equipment from airfield in Chorobaivky. Trenches around field also abandoned. Both observed via satellites.

  6. Fred says:

    What do the defenses @ Norfolk or New London look like now?

  7. TTG says:

    Doesn’t look like the Russians repelled jack. They’ve suspended participation in shipment of Ukrainian grain. Their asses must be pretty chapped for them to do that. I bet those drones sunk another Black Sea flagship.

    • elkern says:

      Seems to me that they have been waiting for an excuse to get out of the Grain Deal anyway, and this was the first one that came along.

      IIRC, Russians claim that the first [international] movement of the explosives in the Truck Bomb which blew the Kerch Bridge was on a ship from Odessa to a Romanian (?) port on the Danube which didn’t get inspected because it didn’t go through Turkey. That seems like a more likely “real” reason.

      Also, Russia prolly wants to negotiate a Grain Deal that allows them to ship Russian grain through Turkey, too.

  8. Peter Hug says:

    I am seeing suggestions that they at least successfully attacked the Admiral Makarov, which I believe was the replacement flagship after the Moskva was sunk. I don’t think I would see anything as confirmed at this point, though.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_frigate_Admiral_Makarov

  9. borko says:

    The way this war is going for the Russian navy, the photo at the beginning of the article will need to be retaken often.
    The first ship in the photo (Moskva) is already gone. Admiral Makarov, its replacement, has also been damaged in this attack.

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