The sea drone detonated during the recovery attempt, killing Russia’s elite sabotage group instantly.
A Ukrainian sea drone detonated in Novorossiysk bay, killing five elite Russian naval divers during a Black Sea operation. Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR) reported the incident on 22 August.
Novorossiysk is a Russian port on the eastern Black Sea coast, where Moscow relocated most of its remaining fleet after Ukrainian missiles and naval drones destroyed up to a third of it in occupied Sevastopol.
Naval drone loses control, drifts into Novorossiysk bay
According to HUR, one of its strike sea drones broke through into Novorossiysk bay. The Ukrainian agency said electronic warfare measures disrupted the drone, causing it to lose contact with its control station and drift. Russian naval command later ordered that the unmanned craft be retrieved from the bay for examination.
One-way mission: Russia sends in elite sabotage divers
To carry out this task, Russian command dispatched a group of five elite naval reconnaissance divers from the so-called PDSS unit, described as a sabotage and reconnaissance detachment. These divers are trained with significant investment of resources and equipped with advanced gear.
While attempting to manipulate the Ukrainian drone, it detonated. The explosion killed the entire sabotage group of five Russian divers on the spot, HUR claimed.
HUR states that dissatisfaction is growing among Russian naval personnel. Sailors reportedly expressed outrage over what they called a senseless order to recover the Ukrainian drone, which resulted in the destruction of a highly trained and expensive unit.
euromaidanpress.com
