Ukrainian Navy drones attacked and sank a Russian patrol ship in the Kerch Strait overnight Tuesday. The lost ship was the 1,300-ton Project 22160 ship Sergei Kotov. Ukrainian Magura V5 unmanned surface vehicles struck it at least three times. There is no official Russian admission of casualties; the Ukrainians claim the butcher's bill is seven dead and 27 wounded.

This is the latest in a series of Ukrainian drone attacks that have sunk or severely damaged about one-third of Russia's Black Sea Fleet. Because of these attacks, Sevastopol has been largely abandoned as a naval base, with Russian ships now based in Russian Black Sea ports.

BACKGROUND:

Russia Loses Large Landing Ship to Ukrainian Drone Swarm

Ukrainian Attack on Russian Fleet Leaves One Ship and One Sub Destroyed With No Nuclear War 

BREAKING: Russian Navy Ship Heavily Damaged by Ukrainian Drone Strike 

Massive Fireball Marks the End of A Russian Ship After Ukrainian Missile Attack 

In the process, the Russian blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports has been lifted, and its grain trade has been restored without Russian consent.

READ: Putin's War, Week 90. Grain Corridor Reopens and Russia Hints at Another Major Retreat 

The 6-meter-long sea drones called Magura are powered by a jet ski engine. Ukraine usually attacks with 6-10 maguras at the same time. Maguras are controlled remotely via Starlink. It has a range of approximately 800 km. Magura's control is very sensitive. It is controlled by the… pic.twitter.com/ULnaA0hKdo

— Yabancı Basında Türkiye (@yabancibasin) March 5, 2024

This is video of the attack.

Last night, near Kerch, Russian-occupied Crimea, Ukrainian forces conducted a USV attack on the Russian Project 22160 patrol ship Sergey Kotov, scoring multiple hits, causing catastrophic damage.

Russian channels and the Ukrainian GUR report the vessel sank. pic.twitter.com/rLTQMxKKPB

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 5, 2024

Footage of one of the Ukrainian USVs hitting the rear of the Sergey Kotov.

Source- https://t.co/XQfgqf4oJA pic.twitter.com/qG6koKjEkv

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 5, 2024

There was collateral damage.

A Russian Ka-29 helicopter has been destroyed during the attack on the Russian ship Sergey Kotov - Ukrainska Pravda media citing a source.

The patrol ships of this project have a helipad, a hangar and fuel storage tanks to accommodate aviation. https://t.co/3KPMpgxXD8 pic.twitter.com/wYf0xWiZNp

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) March 5, 2024

Aside from the tactical success, a more extensive operation may be in the making. Sergei Kotov was guarding the Kerch Strait Bridge. This bridge is critical to the resupply of Russian forces in Occupied Crimea, Occupied Kherson, and Occupied Zaporizhzhia. Without the rail line, all supplies have to come by ship or aircraft. If there is another coordinated attack on Russian patrol craft guarding the bridge in the next week or so, it will be an indicator that Ukraine is trying to push the Russian Navy away from the bridge to clear the way for a direct operation against it.

As with the last attack, the distance of the attack from Ukrainian territory hints that Ukraine may be operating one or more covert launch platforms in the Black Sea.