A Ukrainian Navy reconnaissance vessel has been destroyed at the mouth of the Danube by a Russian unmanned boat, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported earlier. The ship, named Simferopol, was said to have been operating in the area when it was struck.

Admiral Vladimir Komoyedov, former commander of the Black Sea Fleet, suggested in comments to aif.ru that the vessel may have been intended to transport sabotage teams toward the Russian coast. He noted that ships of this class are capable of carrying small reconnaissance and commando groups and, when equipped, can even deploy them covertly from underwater.

According to the admiral, the Simferopol outwardly resembled a regular fishing trawler, a disguise that made it less conspicuous. The vessel itself was built in Kherson, with specialized equipment later installed in Odessa.

Komoyedov added that the ship was relatively modest in size and speed, measuring around 50 meters in length and about 10 meters in width.