Ukraine, without a navy, has dealt devastating blows to the Russian Black Sea Fleet and has actually thwarted Moscow's plans to turn Crimea into a "land-based aircraft carrier." Thanks to naval drones, the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to establish control over most of the Black Sea and repeatedly strike at the occupied Crimea.
This was reported by Espreso.tv.
According to analysts, Ukraine, without its own full-fledged navy, managed to undermine the power of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and force the enemy to retreat to Novorossiysk. Over the past two years, the Ukrainian defense forces have turned the Black Sea into a testing ground for innovations, from the destruction of the cruiser Moskva to the introduction of the serial use of kamikaze maritime drones, anti-aircraft gunboats, and even unmanned drone carriers.
Although the Ukrainian Navy received only 18% of the fleet under the 1997 agreement, Kyiv managed to create an asymmetrical response: the latest unmanned systems gradually pushed enemy ships out of the western Black Sea. The first high-profile victory was the destruction of the cruiser Moskva in 2022. Ukrainian intelligence services released the results of a series of attacks by naval drones on Sevastopol, enemy ships, and the Crimean bridge.
As the media reminded, Ukrainian surface drones have been actively modernized since the summer of 2023. Kamikaze drones became reusable platforms and later received weapons: multiple launch rocket systems, air-to-air missiles, torpedoes, and even FPV drones. The Ukrainian Magura V5 and V7, Sea Baby and other developments began not only to sink ships but also to shoot down Russian fighters and helicopters.
A real breakthrough was the destruction of two Su-30s in May 2025 by naval drones with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. This is the first time in the history of naval warfare that naval drones have been used as air defense assets.
In early June, the SBU attacked the Crimean bridge for the third time, this time from the underwater part, using 1,100 kg of explosives. This was another step in the expansion of the underwater front for Ukrainian unmanned forces.
As part of the development of maritime robotic systems, the SBU managed to equip Sea Baby drones with RPV-16 grenade launchers that launch thermobaric unguided missiles. In March 2025, Ukraine used unmanned torpedo launchers in the Black Sea for the first time - a naval drone was launched to engage enemy targets on the water.
Recently, a film was presented about a maritime operation of the DIU special forces on a seized drilling platform off the coast of Crimea. In it, the intelligence officers described the difficult landing conditions, the scale of the facility and the strategic importance of the mission for controlling the Black Sea.
In addition, the Ukrainian Navy, together with its NATO partners, conducted mine countermeasures exercises as part of Sea Breeze 2025. The operation involved four Ukrainian ships, including the new fleet units Mariupol and Melitopol.
Анна Літман