The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and the Naval Forces of Ukraine today carried out a historic strike, using Sub Sea Baby class underwater drones to destroy the Russian submarine "Varshavyanka" in Novorossiysk. This is the first instance in history where such military targets have been successfully destroyed using underwater drones.
According to the SSU press service, as a result of the attack, the Russian submarine of the 636.3 class (classified by NATO as Kilo) sustained critical damage and has effectively been taken out of service. At the time of the attack, four cruise missile launchers Kalibr were onboard the submarine, which the Russian military uses to strike territory in Ukraine.
Characteristics of the submarine "Varshavyanka"
The Project 636.3 "Varshavyanka" is a diesel-electric multi-purpose submarine known for its low noise level and high degree of concealment. The cost of one such submarine is approximately $400 million. Given the current international sanctions, building a similar submarine might cost about $500 million.
Due to its design features, this class of submarines is commonly known as "Black Hole," as their hulls can absorb sound, rendering submarines almost invisible to sonar systems.
Context of the operation
The SSU noted that the attacked submarine was forced to remain in the port of Novorossiysk due to the successful operations of Ukrainian drones, which drove Russian ships out of the territory of Sevastopol Bay in temporarily occupied Crimea. This reflects the successes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in combating the aggression of the Russian Federation.
The press service stated that this attack is part of a large-scale protection of Ukraine's maritime space, as well as efforts aimed at reducing the threat from the Russian military fleet.
It is worth reminding that recently Ukrainian forces also struck the Russian submarine "Rostov-on-Don" in Crimea, highlighting the effectiveness of new technologies and methods of warfare.
