Another Russian Ship Sunk In The Black Sea
The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (GUR) claims another successful drone strike on the Russian Black Sea Fleet ship this month. The target was the Ropucha-class landing ship Caesar Kunikov (BDK-64) sailing off the coast of occupied Crimea. Two weeks before the attack, a Russian Tarantul-class corvette Ivanovets was reportedly sunk by Ukrainian MAGURA V5 USVs. The Kunikov strike represents the third successful strike by the Ukrainian unmanned systems in the Black Sea region, including the attack on Ivan Khurs SIGINT ship in 2023.
Caesar Kunikov was commissioned in October 1986 as a large landing ship Project 775. The Polish Gdansk Shipyard built the vessel as a part of a larger order from the Soviet Union. The ship was named after the Hero of the Soviet Union, a major of the Naval Infantry, Caesar Kunikov who took part in the Battle of Novorossiysk in February 1943 and died of his wounds. The ship took part in deliveries of supplies to the Syrian Army in 2014-2015 and managed to survive a Tochka-U strike on Berdiansk port in March 2022, unlike the Aligator-class landing ship Saratov.
Kunikov is the third Ropucha-class sunk during the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, after Minsk (possibly damaged beyond repair by Storm Shadow cruise missiles in an attack on Sevastopol harbor) and Novocherkassk (sunk after cruise missile attack on Feodosia).
Despite the lack of naval assets, the Ukrainian armed forces have managed to deter and degrade Russia’s Black Sea Fleet using unconventional means. It is unlikely the sole use of USVs can win the naval war. Ukraine is currently prevent interdiction of its vital grain trade or guarantee a safe passage for freighters to its ports. What is more – it is unable to reach some of the Russian ships conducting cruise missile strikes from the sea. Ukraine’s drone campaign is likely to continue but in the long-term Russia may develop countermeasures against USV attacks, forcing Ukraine to adapt its tactics.
Cover picture by Luis Díaz-Bedia Astor under CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED License