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For the first time in the world: due to remote mining, the SSU has hit at least four Russian ships

Bylim Olena

For the first time in the world: due to remote mining, the SSU has hit at least four Russian ships
Sea Baby maritime drones

The Wall Street Journal has published new details of the unique special operations of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) that led to the destruction of four Russian warships.

According to journalists, SSU Sea Baby maritime drones used remote mining to lay more than 15 underwater mines near the Crimean peninsula, which allowed them to hit enemy vessels.

You may also be interested in: SBU Head shares video of Sea Baby experimental drone attack on Crimean bridge

The article says that after the first attacks by marine drones, Russian troops built additional barriers at the entrance to the port in occupied Sevastopol. This greatly complicated the further use of drones. In response, the team of SSU Head Vasyl Malyuk came up with a new tactic: laying sea mines. These so-called bottom mines, made of plastic and weighing about 180 kg, are difficult to detect because they sink into the silt under shallow water.

For a month and a half, the SSU team tracked the routes of Russian warships and civilian transport. On September 14, the Samum missile corvette exploded on one of the mines that had been laid, causing serious damage to the ship, which is still undergoing repairs.

During subsequent flights, Sea Baby drones covered more than 3,000 miles and planted about 15 more mines. During one of these flights, the drone was detected by three Raptor-class patrol boats and opened fire with a grenade launcher, hitting the enemy vessel. On October 11, the large patrol boat Pavel Derzhavin punctured its side while entering Sevastopol Bay and hit a mine while leaving the port. A large tugboat that came to the rescue also hit a mine and needed to be towed back to the port.

According to journalists, this is the world's first successful example of remote mining carried out by marine drones. In total, under the leadership of Vasyl Malyuk, the SSU managed to hit 11 Russian warships and the Crimean bridge, which the occupiers still cannot use fully.

To recap, the Crimean Bridge was attacked for the first time in October 2022. Then a massive fire broke out on the railroad line of the bridge.

The second attack on the bridge took place on July 17. The roadway was damaged. Media reports suggest that the Ukrainian Navy and the Security Service of Ukraine were behind the attack.

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