Illustrative image. (Ukrainian Ministry of Defense)
The Russian Ministry of Defense released video footage documenting the suicide drone boat attack on the Ukrainian reconnaissance ship Simferopol on August 28.
In an earlier statement, the ministry said that the ship, one of the largest and newest vessels in service with the Ukrainian Navy, “sank” as a result of the attack, which marked the first such use of a suicide drone boat by the Russian military against such a naval target since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine.
The Simferopol, which has a displacement of 1,240 tons, was launched back in 2019. She is equipped with several signal intelligence systems, at the center of which is the little-known “Melchior” complex, and armed with a Soviet-era AK-630 fully-automatic, 30 mm rotary cannon, close-in weapon system.
The Ukrainian Navy confirmed that Simferopol was struck at the mouth of Danube near the southern tip of the Odessa region.
Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesman for the Navy, said that the ship was on fire and acknowledged that one of her crew was killed and several others were wounded.
The footage released by the Russian MoD shows a direct hit on the Simferopol, but does not provide any detail about the type of drone boat used in the attack.
Notably, the footage appears to be taken by an Orion combat drone. Developed by Russia’s Kronstadt Group, the drone has an endurance of 24 hours and a combat radius of 250 kilometers. It is typically equipped with an electro-optical reconnaissance and targeting system. However, it can also carry a surveillance radar or an electronic and signal intelligence gathering system.
The unprecedented attack came after Russia’s Rubikon advanced unmanned technology center revealed in a video released earlier this month on the anniversary of its founding that it had been working on developing drone boats.
It is very likely that the center was behind the successful attack on Simferopol, although this is yet to be confirmed by the Russian MoD.
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no longer will this ship be able to defend odessa, the dnipro river or the kharkiv region. yet the usa sends 68 bombs into somilia. completely ignoring that military overexertion assures defeat. russia may have plans to cross the river soon ?
i doubt they have any plans to cross the river before the battles of pokrovsk and konstantinovka are concluded, at that point i would expect shaping operations in zaporizhzhia to be nearing their conclusion if not actually complete, then the campaign for zaporizhzhia proper is likely while group center works to set up kramatorsk and slovyansk.
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a few things: the ukrainians had this ship sailing near the mouth of the danube?.. did they want it to get blown to smithereens, or is their leadership just retarded? also, should have maybe re-named it from simferopole after.. you know, that became a russian city 11 years ago? weird having your best ship named after a city in another country..
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