David topples Goliath: Ukraine’s DIY naval drones outfox Russia’s Black sea fleet

Ukraine, a nation with sea access but lacking a fleet, achieved an extraordinary feat by neutralizing Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. 

Moscow had employed its ships to block Ukraine’s sea access and launch missile attacks. Faced with urgency and limited resources for a fleet, Kyiv pursued an unconventional approach: creating, producing, and utilizing its groundbreaking maritime drones, marking a unique global milestone. 

Amid numerous challenges, Elon Musk’s unexpected role added a surprising twist to this innovative endeavor. During the first naval drone attack on a Russian ship Musk deactivated Starlink, the drone control system. Despite the setback, developers gained valuable insights into communication and navigation. A year later, Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared an end to Russia’s dominance in the Black Sea.

Ukrainian maritime drones embody a classified innovation, leading to limited available information. Nevertheless, Ukrainska Pravda successfully interviewed several authorized sources, and based on this, along with other references, Euromaidan Press compiled all available information on the Ukrainian fleet of naval drones.

Ukraine’s naval journey: from losing ports to sinking warships

“Before the war, sea freight accounted for 60% of Ukraine’s total cargo turnover. We had 18 seaports. After the occupation of Crimea, only 13 remained. Our entire industry depended on the sea,” explained Yuriy Vaskov, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure.

Russia began blockading Ukraine well before the invasion, pressuring trade ships passing through the Kerch Strait. Since mid-2021, Russia escalated its naval presence in the Black Sea’s northwest, declaring constant ‘drills’ that limited Ukraine’s maritime access.

In the early hours of the full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, Russian forces seized Zmiinyi (Snake) Island, providing control over all maritime traffic to and from Ukraine. Yet Ukraine’s Navy, lacking big ships but having domestic Neptune missiles, soon started sinking Russian beach landing hopes. The missiles, improving over time, sank Russia’s Black Sea flagship Moskva in April 2022, leading to Zmiinyi Island’s liberation two months later.

Naval operations were halted on 22 July 2022 due to a “grain deal” allowing the export of Ukrainian agricultural products through Black Sea ports.

“In March 2023, the effectiveness of the corridor began to decline. It became clear that its continuation was unlikely. In July, the Russians withdrew from the agreement,” recalls Vice Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov.

On 17 July 2023, Ukraine attacked the Crimean Bridge over the Kerch Strait with naval drones from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and Navy for the first time. 

Ukrainian drones transform naval tactics

Ukraine’s naval drone era began by chance when a Brigadier General at the SBU with the call sign Hunter noticed the potential of repurposing communication technology from conventional drones for maritime use. 

“And I see that Starlink is standing on a large cargo drone. If you can do this with a flying drone, why can’t we make a boat and send it to blow up Russian ships?” recalls Hunter.

The SBU engaged the Navy’s help since they lacked naval expertise. The Commander of the Naval Forces, Oleksiy Neizhpapa, selected a consultative team from among his subordinates. They helped with calculations and taught drone operators to overcome storms and chart routes.

“We realized that with a drone, we could not sink a large ship, but we could completely disable it for a long time. And already in July 2022, we had the first serious tests, our boats traveled 200-300 km,” Hunter said.

In September 2022, the first drone test on Sevastopol encountered challenges, including the disconnection of Starlink by Elon Musk over occupied Crimea. The communication was abruptly cut off 70 kilometers from the Russian frigate Admiral Makarov, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet at that time. This highlighted the critical importance of resilient communication systems.

In the fall of 2022, the Russians began massive shelling of Ukraine from ships in the Black Sea. So they had to be destroyed.

On the night of October 28-29, 2022, modified Ukrainian drones set sail towards Crimea. Four vessels headed for Sevastopol, and three went south toward the Admiral Makarov. A Ukrainian drone struck the right side of the frigate, catching the its crew off guard. Panicking, the crew headed for Sevastopol Bay, hindered by two pursuing drones and engine failures.

Simultaneously, another group of Ukrainian drones infiltrated Striletska Bay. However, the Russians were ready for this: a huge spotlight flashed in the bay, and they opened fire. One drone severely damaged the Russian minesweeper Ivan Golubets, and others hit an oil storage facility. 

Ukraine's SeaBaby naval drones can now engage in sea battles, not only carry explosives

This video supposedly shows 1st battle btw a coastal ship & drone. As the

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