War in Ukraine: What is the Magura V5, a “kamikaze” naval drone that has become a Russian fleet nightmare?

Ukrainian defense forces claimed on Tuesday that they had destroyed a Russian war patrol vessel off the Kerch Strait in the Black Sea.

Magura V5s, the latest version of the Ukrainian-designed autonomous maritime drone, were deployed during the operation.

During the night, a special operation carried out in Ukrainian territorial waters made it possible to destroy the most modern Russian patrol boat, Sergey Kotov. A Russian warship sank near the Kerch Strait in the Black Sea after being hit by a Magura V5 maritime drone, the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Service (GUR) said in a telegram on Tuesday morning. “Following an attack by a Magura V5 maritime drone, the Russian vessel Project 22160 Sergey Kotov suffered damage on the stern, starboard and port sides.“, the agency wrote.

Gurr soon released a black-and-white video showing the alleged nighttime attack. In the images, we can see a naval drone approaching the Sergei Kotov – 94 meters long – then an explosion with huge flames, smoke and debris thrown over the ship. Its spokesman Andrey Yusov said on Telegram that the patrol boat had already “seriously damaged“During a previous attack by Ukrainian forces last September, but that”This time was surely destroyed“. The message added that the cost of the vessel was approximately $65 million.

In the two-year war, Kiev’s forces managed to repel the powerful Russian fleet in the Black Sea using missiles and maritime drones, allowing the reopening of maritime corridors for Ukrainian grain exports, defying bombing. According to the Ukrainian military, about a third of Russian military ships “Get out of harm’s way” in the area. For this, kyiv relies, among other things, on a fleet of autonomous maritime drones, the latest version of which, the Magura V5, was deployed during this operation.

Almost stealth abilities

A little technological gem, Magura (for “Maritime Autonomous Guard Unmanned Robotic Apparatus” or “Autonomous Maritime Robotic Apparatus” in French) is an autonomous maritime drone of Ukrainian design. The 5.50 m long and 1.50 m wide maritime drone can reach a cruising speed of 22 knots (40 km/h) and a maximum cruising speed of 42 knots (78 km/h) with a radius of action of approximately 830 km. A report aired last July by the American channel CNN has given detailed information.

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Thanks to its hydrodynamic fuselage and agile maneuverability, the Magura V5 has near-stealth capabilities. The Ukrainian Navy uses it for surveillance or reconnaissance missions. But it can also be used as a kamikaze drone carrying up to 300 kilograms of explosives, the American media published in its report. The exact number of copies available to the Ukrainian military is unknown, as the information is classified as a defense secret.

The Russian Defense Ministry has yet to make an official comment on last night’s attack, but Russian military bloggers close to the armed forces have confirmed the strike, with some emphasizing the inability of the Russian Navy to defend itself. According to Ukrainian media Kiev post, a remote-controlled attack drone packed with explosives sank the Cesar Kunikov on February 14 while it was near the seaside resort of Alupka in Crimea. This new attack is new for the Russian fleet.