Due to the fact that the SSU Sea Baby naval drones laid more than 15 underwater mines near the waters of the Crimean Peninsula, the Security Service hit at least 4 enemy ships. The explosives were installed on routes used exclusively by russian warships.
This is stated in the material of The Wall Street Journal, the Ukrainian News agency reports.
After the first applications of sea drones, the russians built larger barriers at the entrance to the port in Sevastopol, which made it almost impossible to strike from drones. So, the team of the head of the SSU, Vasyl Maliuk, came up with an alternative: laying sea mines, says the material describing the work of the Sea Baby naval drones of the SSU.
The so-called bottom mines are made of plastic and weigh about 400 pounds (180 kg - Ed.), and are difficult to detect because they sink into the silt under shallow water.
According to American journalists, for a month and a half, a specialized team of the head of the SSU, Vasyl Maliuk, monitored the routes of naval ships and civilian transport before sending Sea Baby to install two mines.
On September 14, Samum, a missile corvette, blew up on one of the mines that blew a hole in its stern: the boat is still in dry dock for repairs.
During the following weeks, Sea Baby cruised back and forth, covering more than 3,000 miles, laying about 15 more mines. During one of the flights, detected by three Raptor-class patrol boats, the drone opened fire with a grenade launcher, hitting an enemy ship, the journalists recounted a conversation with SSU Brigadier General Ivan Lukashevych, better known by the nickname "Hunter".
On October 11, the large patrol boat Pavel Derzhavin broke its side while entering the Sevastopol Bay, it was going to the port for maintenance. Minesweepers and divers combed the area in search of mines, apparently unsuccessfully.
On October 13, Pavel Derzhavin was diverted to another port for repairs, but while leaving the Sevastopol Bay, it encountered a mine.
A large tug sent to rescue it also hit a mine and had to be towed back to port.
A few days later, an explosion also damaged a modern mine countermeasures ship, one of two in service in russia, the WSJ said of the damage to the Vladimir Kozitsky, a transparent-bottom vessel.
According to The Wall Street Journal, remote demining carried out by SSU Sea Baby drones is the first example of successful remote demining in the world.
"Before, naval drones were used mostly for surveillance or logistics. We (SSU - Ed.) are doing many things that no one in the world has done," an SSU interlocutor told WSJ.
In total, under the leadership of Maliuk, the Security Service hit 11 russian warships and the Crimea bridge, which the russian occupiers still cannot fully use.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, the SSU has installed Grad MLRS on its maritime drones.
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