Russia’s Black Sea flagship vessel, Admiral Makarov, was damaged and possibly disabled during an audacious Ukrainian drone attack over the weekend on the Crimean port of Sevastopol, according to an examination of video footage.
Open-source investigators said the frigate was one of three Russian ships to have been hit on Saturday.
A swarm of drones – some flying in the air, others skimming rapidly along the water – struck Russia’s navy at 4.20 am. Video from one of the sea drones shows the unmanned vehicle weaving between enemy boats.
Ukrainian officials said it was unclear if Admiral Makarov was badly crippled, or had escaped with light damage. Unconfirmed reports said its hull was breached and radar systems smashed.
Social media recorded loud explosions in the southern part of Sevastopol, in an area known as Riflemen’s Bay. A Russian navy school is located nearby.
The ministry of defense in Moscow said Ukraine used nine air and seven sea drones, several of which were intercepted, including by a Russian helicopter. It made no mention of Admiral Makarov.
The ministry admitted there was “minor damage” to a minesweeper, the Ivan Golubets.
On Sunday, Moscow said the drones had been recovered and were being analyzed. The ministry said they were equipped with Canadian-made navigation modules.
It blamed the UK for the attack and said a Royal Navy unit masterminded operations from the southern Ukrainian port of Ochakiv. The UK government has dismissed this.
A Ukrainian journalist, Andriy Tsaplienko, shared dramatic footage shot by a drone in action off the Crimea coast in which it appeared to dodge bullets hitting the water on its way to a target ship.
He said the Admiral Makarov was damaged along with at least two other ships that carry Kalibr cruise missiles, including a transport vessel – either the Chamois or Lightning. “There is a good chance that several ships are not just damaged but sunk,” he wrote.
On Sunday GeoConfirmed, a volunteer group said an “Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate” was a victim of the attack.
After examining stills photos, it concluded: “Only Admiral Makarov matches this class for the Black Sea Fleet.” The video stops when a drone reaches the Russian boat, it added, with the unmanned vessel “likely” blowing up on impact.
