The war between Russia and Ukraine, ongoing for the past 42 months, has inflicted significant damage on Ukraine. The Russian military continues to deliver blows to Ukraine, and on Thursday, dealt a major setback. Russia launched a drone attack on the Simferopol, the largest ship in the Ukrainian Navy. This attack resulted in the Ukrainian ship being destroyed and sinking in the river.
Russia attacked the Ukrainian ship Simferopol in the Danube River delta in Odesa, Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that the attack was carried out by a maritime drone, marking the first successful drone attack, sinking a Ukrainian Navy ship.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, the Simferopol was a medium-sized reconnaissance ship designed for radio, electronic, radar, and optical reconnaissance tasks. Launched in 2019 and commissioned into the Ukrainian Navy in 2021, its destruction and sinking in the Russian attack represent a significant loss for the Ukrainian Navy.
The attack resulted in the death of one crew member and injuries to several others aboard the Simferopol. Ukrainian authorities have confirmed the attack. Russia claims the ship sank completely, a claim seemingly supported by video evidence. However, Ukraine has not explicitly confirmed this Russian claim.
