{"id":36399,"date":"2022-05-02T18:19:54","date_gmt":"2022-05-02T18:19:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/05\/02\/ukraine-says-its-drones-hit-russian-fast-boats-at-sea\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:03:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:03:42","slug":"ukraine-says-its-drones-hit-russian-fast-boats-at-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/flashpoints\/2022\/05\/02\/ukraine-says-its-drones-hit-russian-fast-boats-at-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine says its drones hit Russian fast boats at sea"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In what appears to be their latest exploit, Ukraine\u2019s armed drones<\/a> destroyed two Russian patrol boats in the Black Sea just off Snake Island Monday morning, according to the country\u2019s defense ministry and videos of the strikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Multiple videos of the attacks have been circulating on social media, including a version posted to the Ukraine Defense Ministry\u2019s verified accounts that includes timestamps and geographic coordinates on the drone\u2019s operating display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The island, where Ukrainian border guards were attacked by deck guns on Russian vessels at the war\u2019s onset, has been a symbol of Kyiv\u2019s resistance and willingness to fight since audio emerged of the island\u2019s garrison responding<\/a> to a surrender demand by telling the Russian cruiser Moskva to \u201cgo f—\u201d itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukrainian government sources initially stated that all 13 guards on the island were killed, but backtracked days later after Russia said they had been taken prisoner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All 13 Ukrainian guards<\/a> were eventually released in a prisoner exchange. In April, the cruiser Moskva was also badly damaged by a Ukrainian anti-ship missile attack<\/a> and later sank. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an English-language tweet, Ukrainian Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyy confirmed that a Bayraktar TB2 drone \u201csent two russian patrol boats to f..k themselves at dawn today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A longer version of the footage<\/a> depicts portions of what appears to be the island\u2019s coastline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Military analyst Rob Lee described the strike\u2019s targets as Russian Raptor-class fast attack boats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to an Army Training and Doctrine Command site<\/a>, the Raptor-class has been around since 2015 and has a crew of two and a transport capacity of 19 troops to complement its armament of machine guns and automatic grenade launchers. The boats are intended for operations in and around coastlines, with a range of 400 nautical miles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The attack also represents a reappearance of Ukraine\u2019s Bayraktar TB2 armed drones, which have played a major role in recent conflicts in Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh and Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukrainian military officials indicated before the war that they had approximately 20 of the small Turkish-made drones, though they say they\u2019ve received more since the war\u2019s outset<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the weapons have reportedly played a role in some of the war\u2019s high profile events, a large part of their benefit comes from what drone expert Samuel Bendett described to Military Times as the \u201cmythology of the Bayraktar\u201d in a March phone interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to open source analysts Joost Oliemans and Stijn Mitzer, newer Bayraktar models have appeared on the battlefield<\/a> as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the war began, Mitzer has counted at least 62 Russian assets<\/a> destroyed by the drones, including logistics trains carrying fuel and the two patrol boats destroyed Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\ud83d\udcac\u0413\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0432\u043d\u043e\u043a\u043e\u043c\u0430\u043d\u0434\u0443\u0432\u0430\u0447 \u0417\u0421 \u0423\u043a\u0440\u0430\u0457\u043d\u0438 \u0433\u0435\u043d\u0435\u0440\u0430\u043b \u0412\u0430\u043b\u0435\u0440\u0456\u0439 \u0417\u0430\u043b\u0443\u0436\u043d\u0438\u0439:

\u0421\u044c\u043e\u0433\u043e\u0434\u043d\u0456 \u043d\u0430 \u0441\u0432\u0456\u0442\u0430\u043d\u043a\u0443 \u0431\u0456\u043b\u044f \u043e\u0441\u0442\u0440\u043e\u0432\u0430 \u0417\u043c\u0456\u0457\u043d\u0438\u0439 \u0431\u0443\u043b\u043e \u0437\u043d\u0438\u0449\u0435\u043d\u043e \u0434\u0432\u0430 \u0440\u043e\u0441\u0456\u0439\u0441\u044c\u043a\u0456 \u043a\u0430\u0442\u0435\u0440\u0438 \u0442\u0438\u043f\u0443 \u0420\u0430\u043f\u0442\u043e\u0440.

\u041f\u0440\u0430\u0446\u044e\u0454 #\u0411\u0430\u0439\u0440\u0430\u043a\u0442\u0430\u0440<\/a>.
\u0420\u0430\u0437\u043e\u043c \u0434\u043e \u041f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u043c\u043e\u0433\u0438!\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 pic.twitter.com\/3wxlwjDtdx<\/a><\/p>— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) May 2, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote>