{"id":1818,"date":"2026-03-17T21:36:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T21:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.landingliker.info\/?p=1818"},"modified":"2026-03-17T21:36:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T21:36:15","slug":"ukraine-claims-worlds-first-underwater-drone-attack-on-russian-submarine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.landingliker.info\/?p=1818","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine Claims World\u2019s First Underwater Drone Attack On Russian Submarine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ukraine\u2019s state security service (SBU)\u00a0said it carried out\u00a0the first-ever\u00a0uncrewed underwater vehicle\u00a0(UUV) attack on a Russian vessel. The strike was on a Project 636\u00a0Varshavyanka<\/em>\u00a0class, or\u00a0Improved Kilo<\/em>\u00a0class\u00a0diesel-electric submarine, in the Black Sea naval stronghold of Novorossiysk. It would mark a historic first successful use of a UUV as an anti-ship attack weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The SBU released a video it says shows the submarine docked at Novorossiysk along with several other ships. The video pans from right to left and at about the 16-second mark, the submarine erupts in an explosion. That means the UUV, which is not visible in the video, was able to navigate a packed harbor to strike a specific vessel. While we cannot independently verify the SBU claim about the use of a UUV in the strike, they did confirm that assertion to us directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russia, meanwhile, denies any damage was caused by the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018<\/strong>The information disseminated by special services of Ukraine about the alleged \u2018destruction\u2019 of one of the Russian submarines in the bay of the Black Sea Fleet\u2019s Novorossiysk naval base does not correspond to reality,\u201d the\u00a0Russian Defense Ministry (MoD) claimed on Telegram. \u201cNot a single ship or submarine as well as the crews of the Black Sea Fleet stationed in the bay of the Novorossiysk naval base were damaged as a result of the sabotage. The watercraft serve normally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s UUV attack\u00a0appears<\/em>\u00a0to be the culmination of Ukraine\u2019s development of these weapons and once again shows that the war-torn country is at the forefront of modern drone warfare innovation. Little is known about the Sub Sea Baby UUV, not to be confused with\u00a0the highly adaptable\u00a0Sea Baby\u00a0uncrewed surface vessels (USVs)\u00a0that have wreaked havoc on the Russian Navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukraine is\u00a0developing several UUVs, at least that we know of. It released images in September 2023 of a UUV dubbed Marichka, designed to launch\u00a0kamikaze attacks against ships\u00a0and\u00a0maritime infrastructure. That followed the announcement earlier that year of another UUV\u00a0known as Toloka, which you can see in the following video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being able to operate underwater not only helps greatly in avoiding detection and destruction, but it can also potentially mitigate some\u00a0defensive barriers Russia has already built\u00a0around ports as a result of\u00a0Ukraine\u2019s uncrewed surface vessel (USV) campaign. This onslaught has already kept Russia\u2019s Black Sea Fleet (BSF) at bay, forcing it to retreat from Crimea to Novorossiysk. Ukrainian USVs have also\u00a0damaged enemy military facilities\u00a0in occupied Crimea and the\u00a0Kerch Bridge, You can see one Ukrainian USV being destroyed below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0U.S.,\u00a0China\u00a0and many other nations are developing their own UUVs for missions like the one that struck the\u00a0Improved Kilo<\/em>\u00a0class submarines. UUVs can provide the ability to strike vessels and other targets at long distances and can be launched from submarines and motherships, extending their range. They can also be used for reconnaissance and mine laying, among other duties. You can read more about these vessels in our catalogue of stories\u00a0here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the case of the Improved Kilo <\/em>class boat, \u201cthe vessel suffered critical damage and was effectively put out of action,\u201d the SBU claimed. \u201cOn board the submarine were four launchers for \u2018Kalibr\u2019 cruise missiles, which the enemy uses to strike at the territory of Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The submarine damaged by the Sea Baby UUVs is one of six Improved Kilo<\/em> class boats that were operated by the Russian Black Sea Fleet, a retired Russian Navy officer who uses the @Capt_Navy X handle told The War Zone<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These submarines are quite capable and can be very hard to detect when dived and running on battery power. These submarines carry\u00a0Kalibr\u00a0long-range cruise missiles that have\u00a0frequently been used to attack Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sub Sea Baby UUV attack \u201cwas a joint operation of the 13th Main Directorate of Military Counterintelligence of the SBU and the Naval Forces of Ukraine,\u201d SBU explained, adding that the estimated cost of one of the Russian submarines is about $400 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This incident also marks the second time an\u00a0Improved Kilo<\/em>\u00a0class submarine in Crimea was attacked by Ukraine. In September 2023, the\u00a0Rostov-on-Don<\/em>\u00a0was severely damaged\u00a0during a combined missile and uncrewed surface vessel (USV) attack on Sevastopol.\u00a0Ukraine later claimed it was destroyed. You can see the damage to that submarine below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If today\u2019s attack did damage the submarine significantly, Russia would be left with four examples operating as part of the Black Sea Fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While much about the Sub Sea Baby UUVs remains a mystery, a proven ability to use them as weapons holds Russian vessels at even greater risk. Novorossiysk was seen as something as a relative safe haven for the Black Sea Fleet, although aerial and sea drone attacks have occurred there. But the idea that Ukraine can use underwater drones to strike ships in port there changes this calculus, if that is indeed the true method of the attack. As a result, we will also be seeing a change in Russia\u2019s defensive posture at the sprawling port located on the northeastern edge of the Black Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, if this attack was executed by a UUV, it would be another world first and is likely a harbinger of things to come. Hitting ships in port over great distances via underwater drone attack is an asymmetric capability. It\u2019s also one that America\u2019s adversaries are investing in heavily,\u00a0and especially China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With all this in mind, the attack on the submarine serves as another reminder that the war in Ukraine has become a conflict where theory and development are put into practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ukraine\u2019s state security service (SBU)\u00a0said it carried out\u00a0the first-ever\u00a0uncrewed underwater vehicle\u00a0(UUV) attack on a Russian vessel. The strike was on a Project 636\u00a0Varshavyanka\u00a0class, or\u00a0Improved Kilo\u00a0class\u00a0diesel-electric submarine, in the Black Sea … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1819,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.landingliker.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.landingliker.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.landingliker.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.landingliker.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.landingliker.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1818"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.landingliker.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1818\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1821,"href":"https:\/\/www.landingliker.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1818\/revisions\/1821"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.landingliker.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.landingliker.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.landingliker.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.landingliker.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}