Exclusive: Ukrainian Naval Drones Target Russian Spy Ship Priazovye in a Bold Move Amid Ongoing Conflict.

In an audacious development on the 11th of June, 2023, Ukraine's military, in a daring move, unleashed an attack using six explosive-laden naval drones on the Russian Navy's Vishnya-Class intelligence ship, "Priazovye". The ship was on patrol in the southern Black Sea near the Turkish-Blue Stream Pipelines, according to a video released by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
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Rise of the Drones: Ukrainian USVs in Bold Attack on Russian Spy Ship 'Priazovye'. (Picture source Russian MoD Video footage)

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the ship's onboard armaments successfully neutralized all drones, averting any damage. This attack reportedly took place early on June 11, nearly 185 miles southeast of the critical Russian naval base at Sevastopol, Crimea. This strike mirrors a similar attack on Russian intelligence ship Ivan Khurs in the same region on May 24, 2023.

The historic city of Sevastopol, due to its prime location, has long been a strategically important naval base. It enables easy access to the Black Sea and, subsequently, the Mediterranean Sea and global oceans. The Sevastopol naval base is a crucial asset for Russia, enabling the country to project naval power into the Black Sea and beyond. A variety of vessels including submarines, surface combatants, and auxiliary ships are based here.

Pro-Ukrainian war monitors identified the naval drones used in this attack as "Cat and Raccoon." These latest kamikaze drones visually differ from those deployed against the Sevastopol bay and the Ivan Khurs ship. The specific capabilities of these new drones remain unknown.

The assault was thwarted by the Priazovye's AK-630 CIWS, a fully automatic, rotary cannon, close-in weapon system designed primarily for defense against aircraft and helicopters. Despite this, the attack signifies that Ukraine is still focused on Russia's Black Sea fleet, repeatedly (and often successfully) targeting Russia's flagships and the Sevastopol port since the early days of the invasion.

As Ukraine continues to deploy UAVs and USVs, Russia has become increasingly defensive over its strategic Sevastopol port. In response to this growing threat, the Black Sea Fleet recently conducted anti-sabotage exercises in Sevastopol.

While Russia asserts that ships such as the Priazovye are deployed in this area to protect undersea infrastructure, like the Turk Stream gas pipeline, it is widely believed that they are there to monitor NATO air assets.

USVs have emerged as a significant interest for navies in recent years, but their use has largely been limited to surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, and harbor protection, with explosive boat designs absent from many navies' requirement lists. However, Ukraine's USVs, created amid conflict, challenge these traditional perspectives.

Ukraine's drone strategy, small, purposeful, and expendable, demonstrates the power of simple, yet innovative engineering. They prove that, if needed, such technology can be crafted even in garage-like settings.

For context, the Vishnya or Meridian class ships, including the Priazovye, are a fleet of intelligence-gathering ships built for the Soviet Navy in the 1980s. Equipped with an extensive array of sensors, they are designed for signals intelligence (SIGINT) and communications intelligence (COMINT). Their armament includes two AK-306 close-in weapon systems and SAM launchers. The Priazovye, commissioned on June 12, 1987, underwent modernization of its electronic intelligence equipment in 2008.

The Priazovye is an intelligence-gathering ship built for the Soviet Navy in the 1980s. (Picture source Wikimedia)