First successful Russian naval drone attack sinks Ukrainian Navy reconnaissance ship in Danube River estuary

Russia’s Defense Ministry announced on Aug. 28 that its forces had struck and sank the Ukrainian reconnaissance ship Simferopol. Ukraine’s Navy later confirmed the attack. It marks the first time Russian forces have successfully hit an enemy vessel using an unmanned surface vessel (USV).

According to the Ukrainian outlet Dumska, the strike took place around midnight while the Simferopol was in the Danube River estuary. The ship sustained a breach in its hull and capsized.

Speaking on national television on Aug. 29, Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk commented that some crew members are listed as missing. Two sailors were killed, several others injured, and a search and rescue operation is underway. “But the majority of the crew has been safe since yesterday,” The Kyiv Independent cited Pletenchuk as saying.

Pro-Russian Telegram channels noted (1, 2) that this is the first officially confirmed successful use of a Russian naval drone against a Ukrainian ship. Russia’s Defense Ministry released video footage of the strike.

The Russian pro-war Telegram channel Rybar reported that the unmanned vessel traveled about 25 kilometers along the Danube before hitting the ship. The channel’s authors suggested that Ukrainian observers may have mistaken the drone for one of their own.

Until now, reports of naval drone attacks had only involved Ukrainian USVs, which have sunk several ships of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet (1, 2) — and even downed a Russian Mi-8 helicopter using an R-73 “SeeDragon” missile fired from an unmanned platform at sea.