New Ukrainian naval drone attack on port of Sevastopol in Crimea.

According to information published by AIF on July 16, 2023, an attempted assault involving seven drones and two unmanned semi-submersible vessels, which were targeting sites within Crimea, more specifically, in the vicinity of Sevastopol, was thwarted.
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Video showing the attempted Ukrainian attack in Sevastopol. (Picture source: Twitter account of Jacqueline Phillips)

According to the Ministry of Defense, two of the UAVs were neutralized by air defense over the Black Sea, quite distant from the shore. Another five drones were interrupted by electronic countermeasures and crashed before reaching their objectives.

Two unmanned vessels were detected in the northern part of the Black Sea and were eliminated by the standard armament of patrol boats. As a result of this successful interception, there were no casualties or damages.

The governor of Sevastopol reported on the onset of the attack early in the morning. He mentioned that air defense forces and the fleet were actively repelling an assault over the sea near certain locations, with all city services prepared and on alert.

Since the summer of 2022, there have been numerous attempts to launch large-scale attacks on the primary base of the Black Sea Fleet. This activity intensified in May 2023, with one of the most significant incidents occurring on May 7th when ten drones were directed towards Sevastopol. Despite the scale of the attack, it was successfully repelled and the city remained unharmed.

The Black Sea Fleet command regularly refines Sevastopol's defense systems and carries out personnel training.

Kyiv has been increasing its use of surface drones in addition to the aerial ones. These have been employed not just in attacks on Sevastopol, but also against the vessels of the Black Sea Fleet while on combat duty. Foreign drones supplied to Kyiv have been used in these attempts.

In May 2023, a vessel named "Ivan Khurs", safeguarding the gas pipelines "Turkish Stream" and "Blue Stream" within the Turkish Republic's exclusive economic zone, was assaulted. However, all attacking drones were destroyed by the ship's crew.

Claims about the ship sustaining serious damage were made, but "Ivan Khurs" returned to its base independently, showing no visible signs of external impact.

In June 2023, the medium reconnaissance ship "Priazovye" of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, safeguarding gas pipelines in the southeastern part of the Black Sea, was attacked.

Six high-speed unmanned boats carried out this attack under the cover of air surveillance conducted by an American strategic reconnaissance drone. The assault was successfully countered and all enemy boats were destroyed without causing any damage to the Russian ship.

Following this latest incident, Sevastopol resumed its typical summer activities. Regular movement of boats and ferries in the bay of Sevastopol recommenced, allowing residents and tourists to resume their routines.