2024-04-22 17:50:06
Ukrainian naval drones make the difference once morest the Russian fleet
In the calm waters of a lake, a strange little boat goes back and forth. It was one of the Ukrainian naval marches that allowed kyiv to inflict losses on the Russian fleet in the Black Sea even though it did not have warships.
At the edge of the lake, a soldier stands in front of a large black box, manipulating a steering wheel with his fingertips, causing the boat to rock violently.
The soldier, whose military name is “13”, is carrying out training on a Ukrainian-made naval drone “Magura V5”, which the Ukrainian forces invited the French Press Agency to follow in an undisclosed location.
The masked man leads the unit, which also goes by the name “13”, and leads the “Magura” marches on behalf of Ukrainian military intelligence. The unit is known for its daring operations once morest Russia, often carried out using aerial or maritime drones.
When the soldier presses the drone’s accelerator pedal, a smile appears under the military scarf that covers his face. He explained that “its speed reaches 80 kilometers per hour and it can carry a warhead weighing 320 kilograms” of explosives.
With this type of small machine measuring 5 meters long, Soldier 13 achieved a victory that shook the powerful Russian fleet in the Black Sea.
Russian ships near the port of Sevastopol (Archives – Reuters)
This is the only major success of the Ukrainian army since the end of 2022; The major counterattack he launched last summer failed. kyiv’s forces are currently struggling to repel the advance of Moscow’s forces in the east of the country.
kyiv confirmed that it destroyed around 30% of Russian warships using explosive-laden “Magura” naval drones, including the Russian naval patrol boat “Sergei Kotov” on March 5, the Ivanovets missile launcher on February 1 and the landing ship. . The great Caesar Kunikov following 13 days off the coast of Crimea.
A series of Ukrainian successes at sea has prompted Russian ships to retreat to eastern ports and the Mediterranean Sea, according to the Ukrainian navy.
“13” told Agence France-Presse: “With a few naval drones, we were able to paralyze the enemy fleet.”
He added: “If you looked at a map of the Black Sea today, you would not see a single Russian warship there. »
The presence of the journalists distracted the soldier, so he forgot his machine, which moved forward quietly and collided with the shore of the lake, so he rushed to take it back by car and said: “You should have to attract my attention ! It’s a fragile mechanism! “It can be damaged by stones.”
Making a Magura V5 drone is simple and inexpensive. It is equipped with an engine similar to that of jet skis and an aluminum frame.
“13” sarcastically said: “Compared to the price of a warship, the drone can be said to be free.”
Hussein Aliyev, a specialist in Eastern European affairs at the University of Glasgow, also confirmed this in an interview with Agence France-Presse, saying that compared to Russian ships, drones “cost nothing “. He stressed that this was a “very unusual situation that has never happened” in any other conflict.
Aliyev believes that the number of drones participating in land and sea operations has increased “incredibly” during the two years of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He added: “It’s probably the number one weapon these days, and it’s more important than artillery and armored vehicles. »
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently spoke regarding the marches of the “Magura V-5”, saying that by using this type of equipment, “Russia realizes that aggression ( once morest Ukraine) has a real price” .
In February, Zelensky signed the creation of a separate drone force within the Ukrainian army.
Hussein Aliyev believes that the development of maritime drones gives Ukraine a “huge advantage” in this area and experience “that no other country has”.
kyiv’s arsenal includes a large group of unmanned vehicles, such as submarines and inflatable boats used by the Ukrainian security services, in particular to target the Crimean bridge which connects the Ukrainian peninsula, annexed by Russia, to the Russian continent.
Soldier 13 said: “We don’t depend on anyone and no one else has sunk so many ships. »
He stressed that the Russians were trying to find solutions to confront and destroy Ukrainian drones, by placing more machine guns on ships, for example.
He adds proudly, watching his small drone navigate under a blazing sun: “We are one step ahead, even if the war is constantly evolving”, and emphasizes that “this is only the beginning of the war of drones”.
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