Russia makes unexpected gains in Crimea

Nga thu chiến lợi phẩm bất ngờ ở Crimea - 1 — Ukrainian drone boat seized by Russia in Crimea (Photo: Getty).

The Telegram Military Informant channel, citing information from Russian military bloggers on November 22, said that Russian forces seized a Ukrainian-made Magura V5 suicide boat off the coast of the Crimean peninsula when the boat was trying to target Russian ships in western Crimea.

Photos posted showed the assault boat washed ashore intact. It is unclear whether Russia disabled the assault boat, causing it to drift ashore, or if it had technical problems.

Russia's seizure of Ukraine's Magura unmanned attack boat raises questions about how Moscow can use technology to neutralize Kiev's drone strikes.

Magura V5 (short for: Unmanned Maritime Protection Robot) was manufactured by the Ukrainian company SpetsTechnoExport. This vehicle is 5.5m long, has a range of 800km, and reaches a maximum speed of 77km/h. This device can carry 320kg of explosives. According to SpetsTechnoExport, the Magura V5 suicide boat can be controlled via radio waves.

"Magura demonstrates our ability to create new-tech naval drones, using a non-aggressive philosophy but capable of creating deterrence in regions such as the Black Sea," said Ivan Sybyriakov, head of SpetsTechnoExport's drone development department.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on November 22 that it had detected four Ukrainian naval drones in the western Black Sea. Moscow said the devices were aimed at the Crimean peninsula, but were destroyed by Russian defense systems. However, it is unclear whether the devices and the captured Magura boat are related.

Although it does not possess warships, the Ukrainian navy is using all its resources to reduce Russia's overwhelming power in the Black Sea.

Ukrainian forces have increasingly used drones carrying explosives or missiles to attack Russian targets in the Black Sea and the Crimean peninsula.

In mid-August, Ukraine's security service released video of the SeaBaby drone boat, which Kiev used to attack the Kerch bridge connecting Crimea to Russia and several Russian ships in the Black Sea.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this month that drone attacks had given Ukraine the upper hand and forced Russian forces to retreat in the Black Sea.

The Crimean Peninsula, home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, has been repeatedly attacked by drones, suicide boats and missiles. Russia has also repeatedly announced that it is blocking Ukrainian reconnaissance groups from attempting to raid Crimea by speedboat or jet ski.

Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 after a controversial referendum. According to analysts, cutting off the corridor connecting Crimea to mainland Russia is one of Ukraine's main goals in the counter-offensive that has been going on since June. However, some experts say Kiev will find it difficult to achieve this goal this year.

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