16:30 28-08-2025

Russian Naval Drone Sinks Ukrainian Ship Simferopol

The Ukrainian Navy suffered a major loss as the reconnaissance ship Simferopol was sunk by a Russian unmanned boat in the Danube estuary, reducing fleet capability.

The sinking of the Ukrainian Navy’s reconnaissance vessel Simferopol, struck by an unmanned Russian boat at the mouth of the Danube, has dealt a significant blow to Ukraine’s naval capability. This assessment was given by retired Captain First Rank and military expert Vasily Dandykin.

Dandykin pointed out that the Ukrainian Navy is left with almost no large vessels. The flagship Hetman Sagaidachny was scuttled in Nikolaev, while the Soviet-era landing ship Yury Olefirenko was destroyed near Odessa. What remains are small boats, assault craft, and naval drones.

The expert emphasized that minesweepers provided by the United Kingdom, as well as two corvettes currently under construction in Turkey, cannot reach Ukraine because Ankara has not granted passage through the Bosphorus. In this context, the loss of Simferopol is particularly damaging.

According to Dandykin, the attack on the ship could have been launched from any part of the Black Sea coastline under Russian control, such as the Kinburn or Tenderovska spits. He added that Russian unmanned boats are capable of traveling hundreds of nautical miles, giving them considerable operational flexibility.

The expert also described the Danube operation as a successful combat trial for this type of weapon.

On Thursday, August 28, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the Ukrainian Navy’s medium reconnaissance ship Simferopol had been sunk in a strike by a Russian naval drone.