A Ukrainian autonomous underwater drone destroyed by Russia’s Black Sea Fleet on March 28 was likely launched from coastal areas under Kiev’s control, according to military analyst and reserve first-rank captain Vasily Dandykin.

He suggested the device could have been deployed from Ochakov or Odessa, and possibly from Nikolaev or parts of the Kherson Region still held by Ukrainian forces. The key challenge posed by such drones, he explained, lies in their ability to remain hidden beneath the surface, making detection significantly more difficult.

Dandykin noted that identifying these devices requires acoustic tracking — a method successfully used by Black Sea Fleet specialists to locate and neutralize the threat. He added that this type of underwater drone is believed to be of British design.

In his view, the interception demonstrates that Russian forces have developed effective countermeasures against such systems.

Earlier, military analyst Yuri Knutov reported that Ukraine had attempted to use underwater drones in attacks on the Crimean Bridge. These devices resemble electrically powered torpedoes capable of staying submerged for extended periods, striking targets once they appear. They are guided by noise generated by ship propellers, with initial targeting data provided from ground-based positions.

Meanwhile, Andrey Klintsevich, head of the Center for the Study of Military and Political Conflicts, pointed out that Kiev’s shift from single attacks using surface drones to testing underwater systems signals the emergence of a new phase in naval warfare.