Ukraine’s Security Service said its underwater drones hit a Russian submarine in the port of Novorossiysk on Dec. 15, the first such attack it has reported, knocking the vessel out of service.
The agency said it used Sea Baby naval drones to target a Varshavyanka-class submarine that carried four launchers for Kalibr cruise missiles, which Russia has used to strike Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
The strike was conducted jointly by the 13th Main Directorate of Military Counterintelligence of the SBU and the Ukrainian Navy.
"The ship suffered critical damage and was effectively out of service," the SBU wrote on Telegram.
According to the agency, the submarine is estimated to be worth approximately $400 million, but due to international sanctions, the cost of constructing a replacement could rise to $500 million, it said.
The SBU added that the submarine had been docked in Novorossiysk after earlier successful strikes by Ukrainian surface drones had forced the Russian Navy to withdraw from Sevastopol, in occupied Crimea.
Another submarine of the same class, "Rostov-on-Don," was reportedly damaged in Sept. 2023 during a Ukrainian missile strike on the Sevastopol Shipyard
According to the SBU, it became the first submarine in history to be destroyed by a cruise missile.
SBU operations are part of Ukraine’s broader strategy to undermine Russia’s military capabilities and disrupt its ability to launch missile strikes against Ukrainian territory.
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