Sea Baby mined the fairway near Sevastopol: five Russian ships were destroyed
22.02.2025 - 12:36
The SBU and the Ukrainian Navy conducted an operation to mine the fairways near Sevastopol, which led to the explosion of five Russian warships.
Ukrainian Sea Baby surface drones mined the fairway of the Sevastopol Bay. As a result of the special operation, five Russian ships were blown up, writes “Militarnyi” with reference to SBU Brigadier General Ivan “Hunter” Lukashevich.
“We developed several operations together with the Defense Forces, during which my team mined the fairway of the Sevastopol Bay, and the Navy attacked the ships with Storm Shadow cruise missiles. The Russians, saving the fleet, rushed to Novorossiysk, but five ships did not reach it – including two missile carriers and the “Pavel Derzhavin”, which exploded on our mines,” Lukashevich said.
According to The Wall Street Journal, in June 2023, Ukraine laid more than 15 underwater mines on the routes of Russian ships near Crimea.
Ukrainian Sea Baby drones also used weapons against Raptor-class patrol boats. One of the drones, detected by Russian vessels, opened fire with a grenade launcher and damaged the boat.
In particular, on September 14, 2023, the missile ship Samum exploded after being hit by Storm Shadow. Later, on October 11, the patrol ship Pavel Derzhavin hit a mine while entering the port for repairs. On October 13, the Pavel Derzhavin exploded again while leaving Sevastopol Bay. The Russians sent a large tug to help it, which also exploded on a mine. A few days later, the explosion damaged the reconnaissance and hydrographic ship Vladimir Kozytsky.
The operation involved the use of modified Sea Baby drones, which laid two bottom mines while moving. By their shape, they were identified as Italian MN103 Manta – 220-kilogram non-contact mines with a fiberglass body, which makes them difficult to detect.
The charges contain 130 kg of explosives with acoustic and magnetic detectors. The installation depth is from 2.5 to 100 meters, which allows even submarines to be hit. The delayed activation time is up to 63 days, which allows creating a long-term threat to the enemy.
Earlier, USM reported that the Ukrainian Navy monitors mine safety in the area of three ports of Great Odesa.
