Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) announced that its special operations unit Group 13 successfully hit and destroyed the Russian guided-missile corvette Ivanovets on the night of 31 January-1 February using unmanned sea drones.
In a statement, the DIU said: “The enemy vessel was on the roadstead of Lake Donuzlav in temporarily occupied Crimea.”
“As a result of a number of direct strikes to the hull, the Russian vessel sustained critical damage causing immobilisation – it heaved aft and sank.”
DIU released footage of the attack which captured the catastrophic explosion that crippled the vessel.
A statement issued by the Ukrainian Navy stated: “This is quite a significant loss, given that there are only three such Project 1241.1 corvettes in service in Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, and the weapons include Moskit-type anti-ship missiles with a range of up to 130 km.”
“Search and rescue operations are currently underway. Since the crew of the corvette consisted of 40 sailors, the loss of personnel is significant as well.”
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has experienced significant losses during the ongoing war. In April 2022, the fleet’s flagship, Moskva, was targeted and sunk in an attack. In September 2023, the Ukrainian military launched a cruise missile strike on the fleet’s headquarters located in Sevastopol, killing several top-ranking officers.
