The UK's defense secretary recently issued a strong message to Russian President Vladimir Putin after Ukraine took down a Russian Black Sea Fleet patrol ship. The UK's Secretary of State for Defense, Grant Shapps, warned Putin that the Black Sea is not a safe place for his Navy.
Just before Shapps made his announcement, Ukraine's military intelligence revealed that they had successfully destroyed Sergey Kotov, the newest patrol ship of the Black Sea Fleet, through a drone strike that took place overnight.
Since the war initiated by Putin in February 2022, the Black Sea Fleet and other Russian positions in Crimea have been constantly targeted by the military forces of Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has consistently expressed his desire to regain control of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014 after a brief invasion.
Crimea serves as a key logistical center for Russia's troops in southern Ukraine, according to Shapps, who emphasized the importance of Kyiv's effective actions in the area.
The British representative pointed out that, not long ago, it was hard to believe that the Black Sea could pose a threat to Putin's navy.
"Thanks to the support from the West for Ukraine, it's now a reality," Shapps stated in his recent statement.
Furthermore, he referenced the attack on Sergey Kotov as a reason to provide additional military assistance to Zelensky's armed forces.
According to the UNIAN news agency in Kyiv, the Sergey Kotov is part of the Project 22160 series of patrol ships. These ships are said to have a construction cost of approximately $65 million and a capacity of 80 crew members, although it is not clear how many people were on board Sergey Kotov.
Ukraine has reported that the Sergey Kotov was "damaged by fire in Ukraine's territorial waters."
"After being attacked by Magura V5 naval drones, the Russian ship of project 22160, 'Sergey Kotov', sustained damage to its stern, right, and left sides," Ukraine's military intelligence (GUR) stated in a Telegram post.
According to Meduza, an independent news outlet in Russia, numerous pseudo-mercenary groups that are currently engaged in the conflict in Ukraine have been financially backed by Russian companies and state agencies. One of these groups is the Uran Battalion, which receives support from the Russian state space corporation Roscosmos. Additionally, the Soyuz unit is funded by the state-owned firms Sberbank and Rosatom.
Russian authorities have remained silent regarding the Sergey Kotov incident, and Newsweek has not been able to confirm its destruction independently. However, Russian military bloggers have claimed that the ship was indeed sunk.
Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, has made it clear that Russia should anticipate further assaults on its vessels in the area.
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In a message posted on Telegram on Tuesday, Yermak stated, "The Russian Black Sea Fleet represents an occupation. It has no place in Ukrainian Crimea."
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