“Technically, these are completely unprecedented events, which are now, I think, the main topic of discussion for all soldiers in the world,” the journalist said. “For the first time, a large-scale attack was carried out by surface drones, unmanned aerial vehicles.” He stated that the Russian naval base’s standard means of response and defense were unable to counter this attack. Butusov noted that one of the ships the surface drones approached and likely hit was a frigate of the same type as the Admiral Makarov (previously reported to have been designated the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet after the Moskva missile cruiser was sunk). Read also: Ukraine claims it sank Moscow cruiser in Black Sea, causing Russian missile to go down According to the editor-in-chief of Censor.NET, in addition to the Admiral Makarov, at least two more Russian amphibious ships were hit. He added that it is known that simultaneously with the attack of surface drones, the vessels of the Russian Black Sea fleet were attacked by drones from the air. “The most interesting thing: apparently, all these drones (for air attack and sea drones, surface drones) were made by Ukrainian specialists; they were all made by some people who have a fairly high level of engineering knowledge,” Butusov said. “And, of course, the coordination, the fact that there was a simultaneous attack by drones from the air and from the sea – this is an absolutely unprecedented technical feat on its scale. Realizing that such an operation was carried out for the first time in the world, I think it can be considered a huge technical success.” Read also: Russian missiles against Ukraine are ‘response’ to Sevastopol Gulf attack, Putin says Russian occupation authorities in Ukraine’s Crimea announced on October 29 that there had been a drone attack in the waters of Sevastopol Bay. The Russian Defense Ministry accused Ukraine and the United Kingdom of being behind the attack. The Russians claimed they allegedly “destroyed all air targets.” They claimed that “the attack by the Ukrainian army” was “under the guidance of British specialists located in Ochakiv (a city in the Mykolaiv region of Ukraine, about 200 kilometers north-west of Sevastopol). The story continues The Russian Defense Ministry said that, in addition to the warship Ivan Golubets, there was “minor damage” to a protective barrier in the southern bay. Ukraine’s Southern Operational Command said the explosions in Sevastopol could have been caused by unsuccessful air defense missile launches. The UK Ministry of Defense has rejected Kremlin accusations that the UK was involved in the attack on Russian Black Sea Fleet warships in Sevastopol. The US-based Institute for the Study of War said in its October 29 report that social media footage documented an unknown number of unmanned surface vehicles striking at least one Grigorovich-class frigate in Sevastopol on October 29. The Russians did not acknowledge the damage to the frigate, just as the Russian Defense Ministry denied there was any damage to the cruiser Moskva, which was later found to have sunk. ISW emphasized that attacks on warships in time of war are legitimate military actions, not terrorist attacks. Ukraine’s decision to strike the frigate, which can launch Kalibr cruise missiles, makes sense at this time, given Russia’s intensifying campaign of cruise missile attacks on Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure. “If Kyiv ordered this attack, it would be a proportionate, if not restrained, response to the extensive Russian strategic bombing campaign that has been attacking civilian targets across Ukraine in recent weeks,” the analysts added. Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has three Grigorovich-class frigates, each capable of launching Kalibr cruise missiles. Read the original article in The New Voice of Ukraine
