A swarm of five Ukrainian unmanned surface vessels took part in an attack against the Russian Black Sea Fleet's patrol ship Sergei Kotov (Project 22160), reportedly near the Kerch Strait, resulting in the ship being sunk. The incident occurred in the early morning hours of March 5, 2024.

Citing intercepted Russian transmissions, Ukrainian forces claimed the attack killed seven Russian crew members, and another 52 sailors were evacuated before the ship sank.

The Sergei Kotov is now the thirteenth major Russian naval vessel to be sunk or significantly damaged by Ukrainian attacks, most of which were carried out using USV bomb boats. The Sergei Kotov is a relatively new ship that went into Russian service in 2022 with a cost of $65 million. OSINT analysts on social media claim the ship was equipped with advanced radar assets, crucial to protecting the Kerch Bridge, a prime target for Ukrainian forces.

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Will Killmore

Will Killmore is a US Army combat infantry veteran and Purple Heart recipient. He has deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with the 172nd Stryker Brigade and 173rd Airborne Brigade. Following his time in service, he successfully pursued a certificate of journalism and has been a blogger for Funker530 since 2014. Follow Will’s bad takes on Twitter