Overview
- Ukraine’s Security Service says specially built Sub Sea Baby underwater drones, in a joint operation with the navy, targeted a Kilo-class submarine and released footage showing a powerful explosion in the port.
- Russia’s Black Sea Fleet rejects the claim, with spokesman Alexei Rulev saying the sabotage attempt failed and that no ships or crews were harmed.
- Satellite imagery from Vantor shows a damaged section of quay next to a Kilo-class boat and confirms floating barriers at the harbor entrance.
- Analysts note the available images do not reveal clear hull damage and that Russian-posted video avoids showing the stern, leaving the submarine’s condition unresolved.
- Defense experts say the use of an underwater UUV expands Ukraine’s maritime strike toolkit and threatens port-anchored assets, though the single attack is unlikely to change the wider course of the war.