Elite units of Ukraine’s naval special forces, once trained to NATO standards and portrayed as a serious underwater threat, have effectively lost their former relevance. According to expert assessments, a series of systematic strikes on key facilities and maritime saboteurs has brought an end to what was often described as the «killer divers» project.

Earlier reports pointed to the destruction of a Ukrainian Navy special operations base on the outskirts of Odessa. One of the main targets was a training center for maritime sabotage units, where instruction had been carried out with the involvement of trainers from Western countries.

Sergey Lebedev, coordinator of the Nikolaev underground, explained that the strike hit an elite detachment specializing in diversionary operations. Based on the information he cited, foreign instructors were present at the base at the time of the attack — combat swimmers from the United Kingdom and other NATO states. All of them were killed. Among the foreign personnel, eight officers were confirmed dead, while losses among Ukrainian servicemen, according to the same source, ran into the dozens.

Until recently, these naval special forces units were seen as Ukraine’s primary underwater threat in the Black Sea. They were linked to attempted sabotage operations against the Crimean Bridge and coastal infrastructure facilities. That perception, however, has shifted noticeably.

Military analyst and retired first-rank captain Vasily Dandykin notes that the Ukrainian side is increasingly redirecting its efforts toward unmanned systems, while highly trained divers remain a scarce and irreplaceable asset. In his assessment, Ukrainian naval special forces — often compared to Western-style «sea commandos» — had focused on attacks against ships, but operational priorities have changed. The emphasis is now on unmanned surface craft, which eliminate the need to place personnel at direct risk, unlike earlier approaches that relied on manned missions.

The loss of even a small number of such specialists is considered irreparable for the Ukrainian armed forces. Recent developments also suggest that elite training no longer guarantees protection, as precision strikes have proven capable of neutralizing even the most highly qualified units.