Joined underwater forces: DIU confirms destruction of Russian Sergei Kotov patrol ship during recent attack on Crimea

Ukrainian defenders destroyed Sergei Kotov patrol ship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the temporarily occupied Crimea. The enemy vessel was attacked by naval drones, and it is impossible to restore it.

The operation to defeat the Russian fleet was carried out by reconnaissance soldiers on the night of March 5. This information was first confirmed to OBOZ.UA by sources in the Main Intelligence Directorate, and later the agency provided details of the brilliant operation and showed the effect of the footage.

"The explosion was so strong that the ship was destroyed and there is no question of restoring it," the sources said.

According to them, the fate of the crew of this Vasily Bykov-class 22160 project is being clarified.

It is noteworthy that the vessel has been under attack several times, and each time the occupiers have repaired it. This time, however, the Sergei Kotov eventually sank.

The invaders themselves shared a video of the moment the ship was hit. Before that, the Russian military tried to destroy the target, which was moving toward the ship, but to no avail.

The DIU clarified that this mission was carried out on the night of March 4-5, 2024, by the Group 13 special unit in cooperation with the Ukrainian Navy and with the support of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.

As a result of the strike by Magura V5 maritime drones, the Russian ship Sergei Kotov sustained damage to the stern, starboard and port sides. The attack took place in the territorial waters of Ukraine near the Kerch Strait. The cost of the sunken ship is about $65 million.

On March 5, the occupiers in Crimea complained of a "massive Ukrainian attack" during which UAVs tried to hit ground targets, maritime drones tried to hit Russian Black Sea Fleet ships, and the Crimean bridge was also under threat of attack. The "military authorities" pointed to loud sounds in the area of Feodosiia, where the Sergei Kotov was stationed, and then confirmed its destruction.

A conversation of the Russian commander of the 184th Brigade of ships protecting the water area near Novorossiysk was leaked online. The interception shows him shouting that the ship was sunk by "five unmanned boats". It is known that the AK-176 artillery system exploded on board as a result of the ship being hit from both sides. In addition to the ship itself, an onboard Ka-29 helicopter was also destroyed.

The representative of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Andrii Yusov, pointed out that the brilliant operation not only destroyed the Sergei Kotov ship but also led to the loss of Russian sailors as there are dead and wounded. Although part of the crew managed to evacuate (exact information is being clarified), at least 10 ambulances were called to the land area.

"In addition to the patrol boat, the enemy also had plans to deploy anti-aircraft missile systems on the ship itself, and there have been such attempts," he explained.

The Ukrainian Navy added that this is not the first time that Ukrainian defenders have attacked this ship. In September 2023, during an attack on Russian Navy vessels, the Sergei Kotov was already heavily damaged.

"In Russia, this ship design is one of the most modern. So far, four of them have been launched: Vasily Bykov, Dmitry Rogachev, Pavel Derzhavin, and Sergei Kotov. So far, only the Dmitry Rogachev has not been damaged," the military said.

He also added that there were killed and wounded. As reported, on the morning of February 14, fighters of the DIU and the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked the large landing ship Caesar Kunikov of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. As a result of the attack by naval drones, the ship sustained holes and sank near Alupka on the southern coast of the temporarily occupied Crimea.

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