Russia is arming its Black Sea Fleet with new first-person-view (FPV) drones, according to Russian online newspaper Mash, one of the most popular Russian-language channels on Telegram.
On the social media platform, Mash wrote that the creators of the drones told the newspaper that the devices are equipped with a fragmentation warhead that can be detonated remotely from the target.
“To destroy an enemy boat full of explosives, one remote mine is enough,” Mash wrote on Telegram. “The operator only needs to fly up to the enemy vessel and press a button. Then a powerful bang will happen, thanks to which the floating target will go to visit SpongeBob,” it added, referring to the main character of the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants who lives underwater.
The online outlet also shared a video allegedly showing Black Sea Fleet engineers testing the drones in one of the bays of Crimea. Newsweek could not independently verify the video and has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
Kostya Liberov / Libkos via Getty Images
Ukraine’s military reported in March that Russians were “experimenting” with FPV drones equipped with advanced communications. Military expert Serhii Flesh wrote on Telegram about retrieving a Russian FPV drone carrying a wire coil for an unknown purpose.
FPV drones have essential for both Moscow and Kyiv in their battle in the air in Ukraine.
The reported attempts to arm the Black Sea Fleet with new FPV drones suggest that the Russian military is trying to fix its ailing assets, as the fleet has suffered a really “bad month” in March, Kyiv said.
Last month, the Ukrainian military reported to have attacked a series of vessels around Russian-controlled Crimea, including large landing ships “Kostyantyn Olshansky,” “Yamal,” and “Azov,” the reconnaissance ship “Ivan Khurs” and the patrol ship “Sergei Kotov,” which Kyiv said was sunk on March 5.
Officials estimated that, since the beginning of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, Ukraine has taken out around a third of Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet. Despite Kyiv’s focus on the Crimean Peninsula and its commitment to reclaim the territory, Russia still maintains control of the area.
On April 2, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Moscow will give the fleet a boost, including the addition of three new missile carriers. “To increase the combat potential of the Navy, we continue to equip it with ships that carry long-range precision weapons. In particular, small missile carriers of the Karakurt type,” Shoigu said. “The lead ship of this series, the Cyclone, has become part of the Black Sea Fleet and is successfully performing its assigned tasks.”
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.