5 months ago
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Ukrainian underwater drones struck and disabled a Russian Kilo-class onslaught submarine successful the Russian navy’s astir important remaining Black Sea base, successful the archetypal cognition of its kind, Ukrainian officials said connected Monday (December 15, 2025).
The onslaught carried retired by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) with its “Sub Sea Baby” drones deed the submarine successful the larboard of Novorossiysk wherever Russia has rebased galore naval vessels to enactment them retired of scope of Ukrainian strikes.
Footage published by the SBU showed a almighty detonation erupting from the h2o astatine a pier adjacent wherever a submarine and different vessels were docked. Reuters confirmed the determination of the video utilizing the port’s layout and piers.
Alexander Kamyshin, an advisor to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, wrote connected X that it was the archetypal clip successful past that an underwater drone had neutralised a submarine.
Ukraine, which has practically nary naval fleet left, has utilized oversea drones and missiles to harry Russia’s ample naval Black Sea Fleet and dislodge it from its perch successful the larboard metropolis of Sevastopol connected the occupied peninsula of Crimea.
The diesel-electric submarine was 1 of galore vessels that Russia was forced to determination from Crimea to Novorossiysk successful confederate Russia, the SBU said.
The submarine is susceptible of carrying astatine slightest 4 Kalibr-type cruise missiles, 1 of the workhorses of Russia’s monolithic strikes that successful caller months person inflicted superior harm to the Ukrainian powerfulness grid.
Russia did not instantly remark publically astir the attack.
Turning point
The onslaught comes amid a tense play of U.S.-brokered bid negotiations that person sparked fears among Ukrainians that they volition beryllium bullied to judge colony presumption with Russia that they spot arsenic tantamount to capitulation.
Ukraine has been trying to amusement it tin inflict important harm connected Russia, particularly aft U.S. President Donald Trump said that Mr. Zelenskyy did not “have the cards” successful the negotiations.
Ukrainian navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said the cognition to deed a submarine — the astir hard people to deed — marked “another turning point” successful the naval conflict betwixt Ukraine and Russia.
“This time erstwhile again upends the cognition of the possibilities of naval combat successful this war,” helium told Reuters.
It volition beryllium hard for Russia to repair the submarine arsenic that would person to beryllium done supra water, which would mean the vas would again beryllium exposed to attack, helium added.
Russia has present mislaid 1 of its 4 submarines stationed successful Novorossiysk, 3 of which are Kalibr-carriers, Pletenchuk added.
Ukraine, which has been processing long-range drone and rocket capabilities to constrictive the spread with Russia’s ample weapons arsenal, has been stepping up strikes connected Russian oil, gas, powerfulness and subject targets.
