Kiev relies on drones

Attacks push Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet back

Ukraine recently scored a success with the sinking of the "Ivanovets".

(Bild: Ukraine Defence Forces)

Ukrainian drone attacks have significantly damaged the Russian Black Sea Fleet and pushed it further away from the coast. Most recently, the missile ship "Ivanovets" was sunk. Successes such as this have prompted Ukraine to set up its own drone force.

According to the British secret service, the sinking of the Russian missile ship "Ivanovets" a few days ago will significantly weaken Russia's Black Sea fleet. The strike will affect command and control capabilities and force the naval command to rethink its maneuvers west of the Crimean peninsula.

Ukraine: A third of Russian warships paralyzed
According to Ukrainian figures, Russia has already lost almost a third of its warships in the Black Sea. At the start of the war almost two years ago, the Black Sea Fleet had 74 ships, and the military has so far "withdrawn 24 warships and one submarine from service", according to the Ukrainian High Command on Tuesday.

The last major success was recorded on the night of February 1, when the missile ship "Ivanovets" was attacked and sunk by sea drones. According to the British Ministry of Defense, the ship was important for exchanging data with other ships, helicopters and long-range patrol aircraft. The action demonstrated the vulnerability of the Black Sea Fleet, the ministry wrote on Platform X. However, it was still able to fulfill its main tasks, including firing long-range missiles at Ukraine and controlling the Black Sea, it said.

Nevertheless, Ukraine has "really changed" the security situation in the Black Sea thanks to the drones, explained Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a video address on Tuesday evening. The use of sea drones - unmanned boats with a large explosive load - had pushed the Russian Black Sea fleet away from both the southern Ukrainian coast and the area around the Crimean peninsula. Drones have also been used many times in the battles along the front lines to inflict heavy losses on the Russian military. Drones have proven to be effective in battles on the ground, in the air and at sea, Selensky emphasized.

Ukrainian President Zelensky launched a new type of troop.

(Bild: AFP)

New type of troops "unmanned systems"
This is why Ukraine has created the new "unmanned systems" category of troops. The head of state explained that he had already signed the corresponding decree. These new drone forces are "not a question of the future, but rather something that should lead to a very concrete result in the near future".

The list of tasks is clear: "special staff units for working with drones, special units, effective training, systematization of experience, constant scaling of production and bringing together the best ideas and the best specialists in this area," Selensky outlined the next steps. This is now a task for the army, the Ministry of Defense and the government as a whole.

Ukraine is also dependent on drones due to the lack of combat aircraft.

(Bild: facebook.com/aerorozvidka)

Both sides rely on cheap and effective drones
Both Russia and Ukraine have used drones in the course of the war so far. The Ukrainian military has relied on small drones in the land war for both reconnaissance and attacks on point targets - these unmanned aerial vehicles are cheap to produce. Russia, on the other hand, initially used Iranian-made kamikaze drones to attack Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, but has since switched to smaller aircraft for use on the front lines.