Ukrainian drones strike Russian submarine in Novorossiysk

The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) reported the information.

The operation was conducted by the 13th Main Directorate of Military Counterintelligence of the SBU and the Ukrainian Naval Forces.

Onboard the submarine were four launch systems for Kalibr cruise missiles, which Russia uses for strikes on Ukrainian territory. 

The SBU noted that the cost of a Varshavyanka class submarine is about $400 million. Considering the international sanctions in place, the construction of a similar submarine could now cost up to $500 million. This class of submarines is also known as the 'Black Hole' due to the hull's ability to absorb sound and remain difficult for sonars to detect.

The submarine was forced to stay in the port of Novorossiysk due to successful special operations by Sea Baby surface sea drones, which had pushed Russian ships and submarines out of the Sevastopol Bay in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

• The first time the Ukrainian Defense Forces hit a Russian submarine was on August 3, 2024, in the port of temporarily occupied Sevastopol; this was the Rostov-on-Don submarine of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. As a result of the hit, the boat sank on the spot.