KYIV, September 11 (RKI News) – Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense announced Thursday that its forces disabled a Russian Black Sea Fleet vessel during a drone strike near the port of Novorossiysk.
In a statement, the ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate said the operation was carried out on Wednesday by Ukrainian special forces using a domestically produced combat drone. The targeted vessel, identified as the MPSV07 multipurpose salvage ship, was reportedly conducting reconnaissance and patrol duties at the time of the strike.
The statement added that the attack destroyed the ship’s control bridge, including its navigation and communication systems, effectively putting it out of service. Ukraine’s defense authorities estimated the vessel’s value at around 60 million U.S. dollars, noting that it was commissioned into service in 2015.
The incident comes amid continuing Ukrainian efforts to challenge Russian naval activities in the Black Sea, where drone operations have increasingly become a key element of Kyiv’s defense strategy.