BE RU EN

Russians Attack Their Own Flagship 'Admiral Makarov'

  • 2.01.2024, 14:31

A successful attack by Ukrainian naval drones took the invaders by surprise.

The first attempt of combat use of Ukrainian marine drones in September 2022 failed. But the second attempt, which took place on the night of October 29, was successful. Then, due to panic, the Russians even managed to fire at their own flagship, Ukrainska Pravda writes, citing sources.

The Russian frigate Admiral Makarov, which became the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet after the sinking of the Moskva, was on the roadstead near Sevastopol at the time.

"Makarov" was travelling at medium speed, not expecting an attack. One Ukrainian drone managed to choose the right trajectory and crashed into the frigate's right side. The crew of the "flagship" was totally unprepared for the attack and took the course to Sevastopol Bay in panic," writes UP.

Two more surface drones also tried to attack the frigate, but could not catch up with it.

Another group of drones managed to break into Sevastopol's Streltsy Bay, but the Russians reacted instantly and started firing. Then the Ivan Golubets minesweeper got in the way of the Ukrainian drones and they managed to attack it. Other drones at that moment hit the oil loading station.

"While this battle was going on, the Admiral Makarov, which had been hit, was just reaching Streltskaya Bay from the sea. The Russian coastal artillery, without figuring it out, fired a salvo at its own flagship. However, one return salvo from the deck weapons was enough to bring the coastal quickly to their senses," writes UP.

And while the occupiers were shelling each other, the rest of the drones made their way into the main bay of Sevastopol. Despite the resistance of the Russian electronic warfare, one of the drones managed to "park" between two patrol ships of "Ladny" and "Admiral Essen" and explode. Although both sustained damage, it was unfortunately minor.

"This was the first ever remote maritime operation. Surface drones got their military baptism of fire. But that's when we realised that they are supposed to be bigger and carry more explosives for an effective defeat," one of the developers tells UP.

Latest news