The Russian guided-missile corvette “Ivanovets” sank on Wednesday evening following a nighttime attack by Ukrainian aquatic drones. The 56-meter-long ship was one of three Project 1241.1 “Trantul”-class corvettes in service in Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, and though its standard armament includes anti-ship missiles, that didn’t prevent the drones from reaching the ship,
The Ivanovets sank rapidly after tilting to an almost vertical position, generating comments comparing the ship to the Titanic. There is no word on the ship’s 40-man crew, though search-and-rescue operations were reportedly underway. Video from the attack appears to show the involvement of multiple drones.
With this sinking, Russia has now lost 20% of its Black Sea Fleet. That includes the sinking of the flagship “Moskva” and the Kilo-class submarine “Rostov-on-Don.” Ukraine’s use of aquatic drones, aerial drones, and anti-ship missiles has reportedly pinned down Russia’s fleet and allowed Ukraine to maintain shipping of grain and other goods despite the collapse of the official grain deal.
Just as aerial drones have reshaped every aspect of the battlefield on land, making it almost impossible for armored vehicles to be deployed in the way they have for decades, aquatic drones are shaking up ideas of naval power.
Like other features of Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s illegal invasion, expect widespread use of aquatic drones to shake up strategies around the world.
Open-source intelligence analyst Andrew Perpetua has another long list of losses recorded in the last day.
These losses show Russia is still giving up jaw-dropping amounts of armor in failed assaults. They continue to show how important both FPV drones and bombs dropped by rotary-wing drones are in turning Russian tanks and APCs into junk.
One big (figuratively and literally) feature of this list that’s new over the past few weeks is Ukraine’s Baba Yaga “mothership” drone. Named for a wicked witch character in Slavic folk tales, the drone is a giant six-rotor hexacopter that is designed to emerge at night, when most FPV drones are grounded, and deliver bombs as large as 15 kilograms to Russian targets.
YouTube Video
But, as usual, Perpetua’s list is far from all good news. Particularly concerning is the number of boats that Ukraine has lost, which appears to be related to attempts to hold the bridgehead on the east side of the Dnipro River at Krynky.
These boats, which are forced to land at very few locations to support the relatively small Ukrainian force, have been increasingly vulnerable to Russian attacks. There was some hope that the boats might fare better after Ukraine took out a notorious Russian ace FPV pilot. But based on this latest report, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
The big Russian losses on Perpetua’s list are likely connected to a Russian attack that was repulsed on Wednesday near the town of Novomykhailivka, on the eastern front, southwest of Donetsk.
Once again, it was primarily FPV drones that plowed through targets in this failed assault. The tally of tanks and other vehicles lost is simply incredible. But Russia seems willing to take such losses over and over again.
After days of infighting and reports of standoffs with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, it appears that Ukrainian General Valery Zaluzhny may finally be on his way out. According to CNN, Zaluzhny was informed on Monday that he was fired, and a presidential decree is expected by the end of the week.
Zelenskyy reportedly holds Zaluzhny largely responsible for the planning and execution of the failed Ukrainian counteroffensive last year. Ukraine’s inability to gain more than a few small areas in moving against heavily defended Russian positions has led to months of near-stalemate, and to increasing difficulties for Ukraine when it comes to securing adequate levels of ammunition and equipment.
Zaluzhny, has been commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces since 2021. Zelenskyy reportedly offered to appoint Zaluzhny to a different position, but the general declined.
Replacements for Zaluzhny reportedly include the head of the Defense Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, and Commander of Ukrainian Land Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi. Syrski is considered the “brain” behind Ukraine’s wildly successful counterattacks in Kharkiv and Kherson.
The European Union has overcome opposition by Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán to finalize a $54 billion financial assistance package for Ukraine. This represents a win for both the E.U. and Ukraine, and could signal that Orbán is vulnerable on other issues where he has continued to protect Russia and Vladimir Putin.
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The Ivanovets sank rapidly after tilting to an almost vertical position, generating comments comparing the ship to the Titanic. There is no word on the ship’s 40-man crew, though search-and-rescue operations were reportedly underway. Video from the attack appears to show the involvement of multiple drones.
With this sinking, Russia has now lost 20% of its Black Sea Fleet. That includes the sinking of the flagship “Moskva” and the Kilo-class submarine “Rostov-on-Don.” Ukraine’s use of aquatic drones, aerial drones, and anti-ship missiles has reportedly pinned down Russia’s fleet and allowed Ukraine to maintain shipping of grain and other goods despite the collapse of the official grain deal.
Just as aerial drones have reshaped every aspect of the battlefield on land, making it almost impossible for armored vehicles to be deployed in the way they have for decades, aquatic drones are shaking up ideas of naval power.
The AFU appears to have sunk the Russian Navy pr. 12411 Tarantul Class Corvette "Ivanovets" with multiple marine drone strikes on the night of January 31 to February 1 in western Crimea. Stunning images of the boat sinking! #UkraineWar #UkraineRussianWar #OSINT #Ukraine… pic.twitter.com/xtHds1fWNi
— OSINT (Uri)
(@UKikaski) February 1, 2024
Like other features of Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s illegal invasion, expect widespread use of aquatic drones to shake up strategies around the world.
Open-source intelligence analyst Andrew Perpetua has another long list of losses recorded in the last day.
These losses show Russia is still giving up jaw-dropping amounts of armor in failed assaults. They continue to show how important both FPV drones and bombs dropped by rotary-wing drones are in turning Russian tanks and APCs into junk.
One big (figuratively and literally) feature of this list that’s new over the past few weeks is Ukraine’s Baba Yaga “mothership” drone. Named for a wicked witch character in Slavic folk tales, the drone is a giant six-rotor hexacopter that is designed to emerge at night, when most FPV drones are grounded, and deliver bombs as large as 15 kilograms to Russian targets.
YouTube Video
But, as usual, Perpetua’s list is far from all good news. Particularly concerning is the number of boats that Ukraine has lost, which appears to be related to attempts to hold the bridgehead on the east side of the Dnipro River at Krynky.
These boats, which are forced to land at very few locations to support the relatively small Ukrainian force, have been increasingly vulnerable to Russian attacks. There was some hope that the boats might fare better after Ukraine took out a notorious Russian ace FPV pilot. But based on this latest report, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
The big Russian losses on Perpetua’s list are likely connected to a Russian attack that was repulsed on Wednesday near the town of Novomykhailivka, on the eastern front, southwest of Donetsk.
Excellent work of the 72nd Brigade
— Tonya Levchuk
Once again, it was primarily FPV drones that plowed through targets in this failed assault. The tally of tanks and other vehicles lost is simply incredible. But Russia seems willing to take such losses over and over again.
After days of infighting and reports of standoffs with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, it appears that Ukrainian General Valery Zaluzhny may finally be on his way out. According to CNN, Zaluzhny was informed on Monday that he was fired, and a presidential decree is expected by the end of the week.
Zelenskyy reportedly holds Zaluzhny largely responsible for the planning and execution of the failed Ukrainian counteroffensive last year. Ukraine’s inability to gain more than a few small areas in moving against heavily defended Russian positions has led to months of near-stalemate, and to increasing difficulties for Ukraine when it comes to securing adequate levels of ammunition and equipment.
Zaluzhny, has been commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces since 2021. Zelenskyy reportedly offered to appoint Zaluzhny to a different position, but the general declined.
Replacements for Zaluzhny reportedly include the head of the Defense Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, and Commander of Ukrainian Land Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi. Syrski is considered the “brain” behind Ukraine’s wildly successful counterattacks in Kharkiv and Kherson.
The European Union has overcome opposition by Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán to finalize a $54 billion financial assistance package for Ukraine. This represents a win for both the E.U. and Ukraine, and could signal that Orbán is vulnerable on other issues where he has continued to protect Russia and Vladimir Putin.
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