Drone duo dismantles Russian Black Sea surveillance radar station, security service says

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) conducted a special operation that destroyed a Russian “Neva” radar station positioned on an occupied Ukrainian gas production platform in the Black Sea, according to an official SBU statement.

The operation, carried out by the 13th Main Directorate of the SBU Military Counterintelligence Department, employed a combination of aerial and maritime unmanned vehicles in a coordinated attack. The initial strike came from an aerial drone, followed by a hit from a maritime drone.

The coordinated assault resulted in the destruction of not only the radar installation, which Russia had been using for air and surface surveillance, but also damaged storage facilities and living quarters on the platform.

“Within one special operation, SBU specialists used two types of drones, which demonstrated the effectiveness of working in pairs,” the SBU stated in their report. “We once again reminded the enemy that no Russian junk has a place in the Black Sea.”

Ukraine’s innovative use of low-cost naval drones dramatically shifted the balance of power in the Black Sea, effectively dismantling Russia’s $2.3 billion Black Sea Fleet, which was once a dominant force based in Crimea.

Since 2022, Ukraine has deployed over 100 uncrewed surface vessels like the Magura V5 and Sea Baby, equipped with explosives, missiles, and aerial drones, to conduct precision strikes on Russian warships and even fighter jets, achieving historic naval drone combat successes.

These drones, costing around $250,000 each, sunk multiple Russian vessels, forced the fleet’s retreat from Crimea, and reopened Ukraine’s grain export routes, impacting global food security.

Russia responded with its own sea drones and heavy defenses but struggles to match Ukraine’s rapid innovation and tactical use of AI-enabled unmanned systems.